
Class O 5 Sl l 



FRESENTKIJ m- 



;^M 





'iiiiiinimiiiiiiiiiiik 



^ ;^z^ ^^ ^^^^^^^ 



CONVERSATIONS 



ON THE BIBLE 



ITS 



STATEMENTS HARMONIZED AND MYSTERIES 
EXPLAINED. 



Designed for the Family Circle, the Study, and to meet the 
Inquiries of the Present Age. 



BY ENOCH POND, D. D., 

President of Bangor Theological Seminary, Bangor, Maine. 

Author of "Church History," "Lectures on Theology," "Memoirs of 
Reforjiation," " WiCKLiFFE," "Seals Opened," 

ETC., ETC. 



"^nberstanbing is a S^ellsprmg of %xh unto pim t^al ^allj tt." 

Prov. 16 : 22, 



PUBLISHED BY C. A. NICHOLS & COMPANY, 
SPRINGFIELD, MASS. 

1888. 



65s\i 
.Phi 



Copyrighted, 
Bv C. A NICHOLS & CO. 






SPRINGFIELD PRINTING CO. 

ELECTROTYPEUS, PRIXTEUS AKD BINDERS, 

SPRINGFIELD, MASS. 






PREFACE. 



This work is the cliild of my old age. My reasons for preparing 
it have been partly personal. I needed sometliing to do. I must 
have some steady congenial employment, or I could not be happy. 
I felt, too, that if I neglected to employ my faculties, I might soon 
lose them. The best mode of preserving them unimpaired would 
be to keep them bright with use. At the same time, I could think 
of nothing on which, at my period of life, I could more appropri- 
ately employ my thoughts, than on the Bible. I firmly believed it 
to be a revelation from God to the Avorld — a " light shining in a 
dark place ;" I had made it, in one form or another, the study of a / 
long life ; my sentiments in regard to it were matured and settled ; 
and what better could I do, than to pass over its sacred contents 
in the form of question and answer, and set them forth for the 
instruction and benefit of my fellow men ? 

The conversational form was adopted, as being the most familiar, 
and the best adapted, perhaps, to arrest and fix attention. The 
conversations are between a clerical father and his son, — not a mere 
child, but a son liberally educated, and about to enter upon studies 
preparatory to the ministry. This remark will show, that the work 
is not intended merely for children, and young persons. It is 
meant to be read in families, by Sabbath school teachers, by per- 
sons of all ages and conditions in life. Indeed, the conversations, 
though between father and son, are supposed to be had in a family, 
in presence of the different members. 

And this remark will help to explain the nature of these con- 
versations. The son does not approach his father always in the 



6 PREFACE. 

character of a mere inquirer, but often as an interlocutor, engaged 
in carrying on a conversation, and proposing questions for this 
very purpose — questions which, in some instances, might seem 
more appropriate to come from the father, than the son. 

In conclusion, I commit this, my latest and perhaps my last pub- 
lication to God and his people, hoping that it may lead to a more 
diligent study of the Bible, to a greater love for it and delight in 
it, to a firmer faith in its holy doctrines, to a more strict conformity 
to its sacred precepts, and thus to a more perfect preparation for 
that eternal rest which remains for all the children of God. 

ENOCH POND. 



TABLE OF CONTENTS, 



FIRST BOOK. 

FROM THE BEGINNING TO THE CAPTIVITY IN BABYLON 

CONVERSATION. 
I. 

DO WE NEED A BIBLE? ^AGB. 

Universal desire for further light. — The Bible's inspiration. — Its necessity. — Nature 
versus Revelation.— Nature the only light of the heathen.— Its abuse and perver- 
sion. — Nature's insufficiency confirmed. — Original universality of Revelation. — 
Subsequent loss and reasons for its slow development throughout the world. , . 21 

II. 
WHAT BELONGS TO THE BIBLE? 
Apocryphal books of the Old and New Testament. — Their exclusion. — Authority 
of the received books. — The majority of one a fiction. — Books of the Bible. — 
Their preservation. — Collected by Ezra. — Later additions. — Jewish manuscripts 
and our present Bible. — Do they agree. — Probabilities and proofs. — First accept- 
ance of the Apocryphal books by the Roman Church. — Their incredible absurd- 
ity. — Their value. — Canon of the New Testament. — Council of Laodicea. — 
Revelation of John. — Genuineness of the accepted books „ 26 

III. 
BY WH0:M and when were the books op the BIBLE WRITTEN? 
Books of the Bible chronologically untrue, and the Authors not as represented. — 
Fallacy of such an assertion — Proofs of genuineness. — The books of the New 
Testament. — Investigation concerning them. — Pacts and conclusions regarding 
the books of the Old Testament. — External testimony in proof. — Internal evi- 
dence. — Enemies and infidels. — Research of modern times. — Difficulties and ob- 
jections removed 34 

IV. 
IS THE BIBLE TRUE? 

A vital question. — Historically considered. — Its circulation among contemporaries. — 
Veracity unquestioned. — Character of statements made. — Improbability of ac- 
ceptance if false. — Evidence of profane history. — Propriety of relying on Apostolic 
testimony. — Their motives for truth. — Danger of proclaiming it. — Persecutions. 
— The witness of the world in the present day. — Customs, rites and ceremonies. 
—Their origin.— The Christian's faith. —The infidel's argument. — Belief in Script- 
ural records and authenticity increasing 39 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. 



Y, PAGE. 

ARE THE SCRIPTURES FROM GOD? 
Bible assertions. — Miracles. — Nature of miracles. — Unknown natural laws — Special 
need of miracles. — Their intent and purpose. — Divine Authority supported by 
prophecy. — The value of the Authority. — The nature of Prophecy. — Conjecture 
versus Prophecy. — Bible said to have all been written since the events transpired. 
—Evidence against such a statement. — Internal proofs of Inspiration. — The Bible 
God's Book. 49 

VI. 

THE SCRIPTURES INSPIRED AND INFALLIBLE. 
Difference between Revelation and Inspiration. — An Infallible record. — Passages in 
the Bible not true. — Such explained. — Man's instrumentality. — The work of God. 
— Proof of the Inspiration of the Bible. — The promise of Inspiration from God. — 
Many of them. — Inspiration acknowledged by the writers. — Proclaimed by Christ. 
—Doctrine of the Early Fathers. — Objections. — Difference in style and method. 
—Original manuscript lost. — Indelicacies of the Bible. — Contradictions. — Im- 
proper quotations of New Testament writers. — Paul's disclaim to Revelation. — 
Doctrine of Inspiration of great importance 55 

VII. 

THE CREATION. 
A veritable history or a myth. — Self-evident testimony. — -Other evidence. — Creation 
of the world explained. — Swedenborg and Pantheism. — Time. — Geology and the 
Bible narrative. — In the Beginning. — Formation of mountains. — Terrible revolu- 
tions. — Cause of the darkness. — First chapter of Genesis explained. — The Sun, 
Moon and Stars. — Institution of the Sabbath. — Length of days. — Pre-historic 
man. — The Mosaic narrative descriptive of che Earth before the Flood. ... 65 

VIII. 

THE GARDEN OP EDEN. 

Location of the Garden. — What it contained. — The Great Rivers. — The Tree of Good 

and Evil. — Its Fruit. — The nature of it. — Why called the Tree of Knowledge. — 

The Tree of Life. — Its object and use. — The result had Adam and Eve ate of its 

fruit. — Moral reflections 

IX. 

THE ORIGINAL SIN, 
Adam and Eve made in the image of God. — What we are to understand by that.— 
Their free moral agency. — Duties in the Garden. — The Death implied for diso- 
bedience. — The serpent. — What it Avas. — Power to speak. — Why the devil did not 
tempt Adam. — The immediate consequences of transgression. — The sentence de- 
layed. — The curse on the Serpent. — The curse on the woman. — The significance 
of the curse on Adam. — Entailed sin a law of nature. 81 

X. 

CAIN AND ABEL. 
Their birtb. — Were they savages.— Religion. — Institution of the bloody Sacrifice.— 
Ordained by God. — God's reason for not accepting the offering of Cain. — Cain's 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. 



PAGE. 

anger. — Murder of Abel. — The result. — Wives of Cain and Abel. — People to 
whom Cain fled. — Cain's posterity. — Abel's descendants. — The family of Adam 
and Eve. — Progress of population. — Object of Enoch's translation, — Extended 
lives of the Antediluvians 92 

XI. 

THE DELUGE. 
When it occurred. — Bible predictions. — Preparations. — Local or universal in extent. 
— Evidences of its universality. — Traditions of ancient nations. — Science confut- 
ing old theories. — No positive traces of the Noachian deluge known.-^Previous 
deluges. — Their universality. — Where did the water come from. — Population of 
the Earth. — More numerous than since. — Evidences of this theory.— State of Art. 

— Capacity of the Ark. — What was preserved. — The resting place of the Ark. — 
Antiquity of Chinese, Egyptians, etc. — Moral teachings 101 

XII. 
EVENTS FOLLOWING THE DELUGE. 
Noah's first work — First permission to take the life of animals and eat their flesh.— 
Blood prohibited. — The death penalty for murder. — The rainbow. — Was this its 
first appearance.— Noah's history. — His sons. — Where they settled. — Occupation^ 
— ToAver of Babel. — Confusion of tongues. — The original language. — Site of 
Babel. — Ancient historians 11,? 

XIII. 

ORIGIN OF NATIONS. 
The dispersion. — Tribes and families of one tongue. — Nations in the line of Japheth. 
— Portions of the earth populated by his descendants. — The children of Shera 
and who they are. — Egypt and Arabia peopled by the children of Ham. — The 
desire for conquest. — Rise and fall of nations. — Importance of the book of 
Genesis 119 

XIV. 

ABRAHAM TO HIS SEPARATION WITH LOT. 
Birth of Abraham. — When and where — Family connections. — Marries his half sister. 
— First call. — Its object.— Second call and the promise.- Particulars of his 
journey to Canaan. — Damascus is passed. — A disreputable act. — Sarah's beauty. 

— Pharaoh sharply reproves Abraham. — Cause of Lot and Abraham's separation. 

— Selfishness of Lot 124 

XY. 

ABRAHAM TILL THE FORMATION OF A CHURCH IN HIS FAMILf 
Expedition of the Four Kings.— Capture of Sodom and Gomorrah. — Lot and Family 
among the prisoners. — Abraham to the rescue. — Victory. — Abraham's generosity. 
— Melchizedek.— Who and what he was.— Without father or mother.— Neither 
beginning of days nor end of life. — Jerusalem before the Jews.— Relations between 
God and Abraham. — Sarah's expedient. — Result of unbelief.— Ishmael. — A church 
established. — Significance of circumcision. — I Mety of Abraham 129 



10 TABLE OF CONTENTS. 



XVI. I'AGE. 

ABRAHAM TILL HIS DEATH. 

Angels' visit. — lutennew. — Eating natural food. — Who the chief angel was. — Abra- 
ham's plea for Sodom and Gomorrah. — Treatment of the angels at Sodom. — Their 
message to Lot. — Peril of Lot. — Abraham viewing the destruction of the cities. — 
Pillar of salt. — Profane writers concerning it. — The vicinity of Sodom and Go- 
morrah on fire for years. — Recent discoveries. — Abraham again denies his wife. — 
Birth of Isaac. — Character of Ishmael. — Isaac on the altar. — Mount Moriah. — 
Interesting circumstances. — Sarah's death and burial. — Second wife. — Abraham's 
will. — His death 1.36 

XVII. 

KEFLECTIONS ON THE LIFE OF ABRAHAM. 

His reputation among the nations. — Skilled in Celestial Science. — Ancient historians 

regarding him. — The Mohammedan Koran. — A beautiful story. — A Persian 

legend.— Abraham's faith — Abraham as an example. — His transgressions. — His 

name honored by posterity 147 

XVIII. 
ISAAC TO HIS DEATH. 
The birth of Jacob and Esau. — Heads of two nations. — Esau's birthright sold for a 
mess of pottage. — What is signified. — Isaac like his father denies his wife. — Isaac 
in the land of the Philistines. — His departure. — Esau's marriage and its conse- 
quences. — Esau loses the blessing. — His grief. — Jacob threatened with vengeance. 
— Flight of Jacob. — Character of Isaac 151 

XIX. 
JACOB TO THE DEATH OF HIS FATHER. 
Jacob's journey. — His dream. — His vow. — Marries his two cousins. — Has twelve sons 
and one daughter. — Separation from Laban. — The stolen images. — Jacob wrestles 
with the Angel. — Fulfills his vow. — Benjamin born. — Eachel's death. — Her mon- 
ument standing at the present time. — Jacob returns to his father. — Isaac's death 
and burial 157 

XX. 

JACOB AND HIS FAMILY UNTIL THE RECOGNITION IN EGYPT. 
Jacob's partiality for Joseph. — Envy of the brothers. — Their crime. — Character of the 
elder sons. — Joseph's romantic career. — Cause of the Egyptian famines. — Joseph's 
brethren go to Egypt to buy corn. — His treatment of them. — Demands Benjamin. 
— Grief of Jacob on parting with his youngest son. — Second journey into Egypt. 
— Pathetic scene in Joseph's palace. — The hidden cup. — Consternation of the 
brothers — Judah's eloquent appeal. — Joseph sobs aloud and reveals himself. . .166 

XXI. 

JACOB AND JOSEPH TILL THEIR DEATH. 
Pharaoh invites Jacob to Egypt. — Jacob's joy. — Removal to Egypt.— Meeting of 
Joseph and his father. — Jacob blesses the King. — Joseph's government. — Jacob 
about to die. — His sons called about him to receive his blessing. — Christ's com- 
ing predicted.— Last words. — Death and burial. — Magnificence of this funeral 
unequaled. — Joseph's life a lesson for the young ■ \1* 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. 11 



XXII. P^^^'E- 
MOSES UNTIL HIS CALL TO GO INTO EGYPT. 
Oppression of the Hebrews. — The cause. — Cruel command of the Egyptian King. — 
Mothers to drown ail the new-born male children. — Moses born. — A mother's de- 
votion. — Moses providentially saved. — Born a slave. — A prince by adoption, — 
Becomes a fugitive shepherd. — The religion of the Egyptians. — The burning 
bush. — The message from God. — Aaron to be his helper 184 

XXIII. 
THE PLAGUES OF EGYPT. 
Departure of Moses for Egypt. — The meeting of Moses and Aaron. — Their first acts. 
— Interview with the king. — Their request. — The king's reply. — The effect on the 
Hebrews. — Miracle of the rod. — The result. — Meet the king by the river. — The 
mystic rod laid over the water. — The miraculous result, — Success of the magi- 
cians. — The succession of the plagues = . . . ' 189 

XXIV. 

THE DELIVERANCE OF THE PEOPLE. 
The death plague. — Borrowing of the Egyptians. — Rameses. — Route of Hebrews.— 
Their number. — Pillar of cloud and pillar of fire. — Duration of stay in Egypt. — 
Feast of tabernacles. — Its institution. — The pursuit by Pharaoh and his army.^ 
Terror of the Hebrews. — First murmur of discontent. — Passage of the Red Sea. 
— Was it a miracle 197 

XXV. 

FROM THE RED SEA TO SINAI. 
The march to the desert. — Incidents by the way. — Famine threatened. — Sighing for 
the flesh-pots of Egypt. — Bread of heaven. — First mention of the Sabbath since 
the Creation. — A supply of quails. — Wonderful circumstance of the manna. — A 
'^t full preserved. — Moses smites the rock. — Remarkable result. — First battle. — 
Their enemies. — Where they came from. — First mention of Joshua. — Pious 
Jethro. — His advice. — Establishment of Courts of Justice. — Mount Sinai. . . . 205 

XXVI. 

ISRAEL AT MOUNT SINAI. 
The seventy elder ; of Israel. — Who they were. — God becomes the civil head of the 
nation. — Getting ready to meet God. — Danger of the Mount. — The trumpet 
sounded. — What it was. — Wonderful sights -and sounds, — Majesty of God. — De- 
livery of the Law. — Sprinkling the blood of the covenant. — Solemn ceremony. — 
Seeing God. — The priesthood appointed, — Receiving the Ten Commandments. 
— The Golden Calf — What Moses did. — Building the Tabernacle. — Aaron's two 
sons killed. — Organizing an army 209 

XXVII. 

THE ISRAELITES AT KADESH. 
Leaving Sinai. — Dissatisfaction. — A supply of meat provided. — Aaron's jealousy of 
Moses. — His Ethiopian wife. — The sister of Moses smitten with leprosy — Spies 
sent into Canaan. — Their report and its results. — Instant death of the spies.— 
The command to go back into the wilderness. — An insurrection. — Awful destruc- 
tion of the insurgents. — Budding of Aaron's rod. — Its testimony 221 



12 TABLE OF CONTENTS. 



XXVIII. P^«E. 
THE SOJOURN IN THE DESERT. 
Wandering in the desert. — Their occupation. — Providence of God. — Their second 
encampment at Kadesh. — The sister of Moses dies. — Water again brought from 
the rock. — Moses angered. — Its results. — Death of Aaron. — Conquest of Canaan 
begun. — The, fiery serpents. — Entering the promised land. — The device of the 
Moabites and Midianites.^Balaam slain. — Joshua chosen leader. — Cities of 
refuge ' 227 

XXIX. 

MOSES' LAST WORDS AND HIS DEATH. 
Prediction of the Messiah — The song of Moses. — Goes alone up the mount to die. — 
He sees the promised laud. — His age. — Important lessons from his life. — As a 
historian. — His faith. — Meditations on the life of Moses 234 

XXX. 

JOSHUA AND THE CONQUEST OF CANAAN. 
Joshua called Jesus. — The book of Joshua. — Who wrote it. — Joshua sending spies into 
Canaan. — Fall of Jericho. — The tabernacle set up at Shiloh. — Value of the book 
of Joshua — Who were the Cauaanites. — Evidences of the conquest of Canaan 
other than the Bible. — Had the Israelites any right to the laud of Canaan. . . .241 

XXXI. 

THE RULE OF THE JUDGES. 
Who wrote the Book of Judges. — Names of the judges. — Term of office. — Duties. — 
Idolatry of the Israelites. — Its consequence. — Six hundred Philistines killed with 
an ox-goad. — Deborah's song. — Gideon. — His son Abimelech the usurper. — Sam- 
son. — Treachery of his wife. — Capture of the ark. — Jephtha and his daughter. . 248 

XXXII. 

SAMUEL AND SAUL. 
The ark in the hands of the Philistines. — A fearful curse to them. — Their dread of 
it. — Plan to dispose of it. — The result. — Samuel implored for a king. — Samuel 
anoints Saul. — The first king of the Israelites. — His reign. — A successor chosen. 
— The intercourse of Samuel and Saul broken 260 

XXXIII. 

SAMUEL, SAUL AND DAVID. 

David anointed. — The effect of Samuel's desertion on Saul. — David and Goliah. — 

Their combat. — Saul's jealousy of David. — David marries the daughter of Saul, 

— Samuel dies. — Schools of the prophets. — Saul calls up the spirit of Samuel. 

— Death of Saul. — Did Samuel appear to Saul. — Lessons taught in this chapter. 266 

XXXTV. 

DAVID CONCLUDED. 
The Psalms partially written during Saul's persecution of David. — The news of 
Saul's death. — Its effect upon David. — David's eulogy on Saul. — David made king. 
— A son of Saul also claims the kingdom. — David's reward to the regicide. — 
Military career of David. — Hiram, king of Tyre. — Their friendship. — Tlie ark 
brought to Jerusalem. — The temple projected. — David's sin. — Solomon's birth. 
— Singular fact. — David's death 273 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. 13 

XXXV. ^^^^• 

THE REIGN OF SOLOMON. 
His age on ascending the throne. — His character. — Solomon's marriage to King Pha- 
raoh's daughter. — The great event of Solomon's reign — The temple. — Its dedica- 
tion. — Visit of Queen of Sheba. — Solomon's fall into sin — Evidence of his 
repentance. — His children. — Lessons taught by the life of Solomon 283 

XXXVI. 

KINGS OF JUDAH AND ISRAEL. 
The division of the kingdom. — Judah and Benjamin loyal. — Idolatry of the ten 
tribes. — Invasion by the Egyptians. — Terrible slaughter. — Half a million slain. — 
Elijah the prophet. — Elisha his successor. — The remarkable letter from Elijah. 
— Death of Jezebel. — Jonah and Hosea the prophets. — Pul, king of Nineveh. — 
Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, carries the Israelites into captivity, — Origin of the 
Samaritans 288 

XXXVII. 

KINGS OF JUDAH TO THE CAPTIVITY. 
Reign of Jotham. — Succeeded by his son Ahaz. — Idolatry of this reign. — This temple 
closed. — Hezekiah's reign. — One of the best of the kings of Judah. — His char- 
acter. — The temple opened. — Revival of the passover. — The brazen serpent of 
Moses broken. — A wonderful phenomenon. — Josiah's government. — The book of 
the law found on repairing the temple. — Death of Josiah. — Eulogy of Jeremiah. 
— Jerusalem and the temple destroyed. . 299 

XXXVIII. 

BOOKS OF KINGS AND CHRONICLES. 
History of the books. — Original plan and division. — Discrepancies to be found. — How 
harmonized. — Omissions and additions found and arranged. — Design of the books. 

— Author or authors unknown. — Surmises. — Importance of the books as a matter 

of reliable history 308 

XXXIX. 

THE BOOK OF JOB. 
A remarkable character. — Real or imaginary. — The land of Uz.— Its location. — Time 
at which Job lived. — The author of the book of Job. — The plan of the work. — 
Truth of the narrative. — Actual sound of God's voice. — Religious belief of those 
days. — The question of Job's second family being by the mother of the first. . . 313 

XL. 

THE PSALMS. 
What they are. — Their purpose and the authors. — Original and ancient division. — 
The peculiarity of Hebrew poetry. — The imprecations of tlie Psalms. — The glory 
of infidels. — The perplexity explained.— Inspiration of David. — Value of the 
Psalms to Christians 320 

XLI. 

THE PROVERBS. 

Was Solomon the author of them all. — The three thousand proverbs. — King Lemuel. 

— Location of his kingdom. — The design of the Proverbs. — Why they seldom 

refer to the Sabbath. — Remarks regarding their style. — Their practical value and 

adaptation to mankind 325 



14 TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

XLIT. ^'^OE. 
ECCLESIASTES. 
Why so called. — Ancient Hebrew name. — Its author. — The plan. — Considered a 
drama by some. — Other opinions. — The question of the piety of Solomon. — Evi- 
dences of his repentance and recovery. — The grand object of wise men at this 
period. — Valuable lessons to be derived from this book 329 

XLIII. 

SONG OF SOLOMON. 
Is this an inspired book, and does it belong to the canon of the Old Testament? — Its 
estimation among the Jews. — How considered among early Christians.— A 
Hebrew love-song three thousand years old. — An allegory. — Evidences given. — 
Indelicacies. — This explained. — The general design of the book 338 

XLIV. 
PROPHETS IN THE TIME OF THE KINGS. 
Nature of the prophetical office — The first prophet. — The succession till the time of 
the kings. — Elijah and Elisha. — The prophets of Baal slain. — Ascension of 
Elijah, — Miracles of Elisha. — No writings of either left 342 

XLV. 

PROPHETS IN THE TIME OF THE KINGS. 
Jonah, Hosea and Amos. — Jonah and his work — First of the prophets sent to the 
heathen. — His call. — Attempts to evade it. — The result. — The great fish. — Specu- 
lation concerning it. — False or true. — Startling effect of his preaching in Nine- 
veh. — God's veracity. — Jonah's gourd. — Hosea. — His predictions and peculiar 
style 349 

XLVI. 

PROPHETS IN THE TIME OF THE KINGS. 

The prophet Joel. — Time of his writing. — His smooth and fluent style. — Amos. — 

Originally a shepherd. — Condition of Israel at this time. — Division of the Book of 

Joel. — Comparison with the other prophets. — His fearful denunciation of the 

high priest 355 

XLVII. 

PROPHETS IN THE TIME OF THE KINGS. 

Isaiah. — The most illustrious of the prophets. — Supposed to be of royal descent. — 

Traditional account of his death. — Sawn asunder with a wooden saAV. — His 

alleged crime. — The course of tlie sun stopped. — Evidences from other nations- 

— His eloquence. — Frequent allusions to the coming of Christ 359 

XLYIII. 

PROPHETS IN THE TI3IE OF THE KINGS. 

Micah. — Contemporary with Isaiah. — Also predicts the coming of Christ. — Nahum. 

— Little known of him. — His style more impassioned tlian the rest. — Prophesies 

the destruction of Nineveh.— Ruins of Nineveh lately explored. — Confirmatory 

to Bible history 365 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. 15 



XLIX. PAGE. 
PROPHETS IN THE TIME OF THE KINGS. 
Jeremiah and Lamentations. — Who he was.— Contemporary with Daniel and Eze- 
kiel. — Threatened with death. — Preservation of the prophecies. — Destruction of 
the book by order of the king — A new one made. — Persecution of Jeremiah. — 
Fall of Jerusalem. — Death in Egypt. — Book of Lamentations. — Their pecul- 
iarity 369 

L. 

PROPHETS IN THE TIME OF THE KINGS.. 
Zephaniah. — Time of his prophecy. — Character of his predictions. — Habakkuk. — The 
general description of this book. — Obadiah. — The shortest book in the Old Tes- 
tament. — Subject of this prophecy 375 



SECOND BOOK. 

FROM THE CAPTIVITY TO THE COMING OF CHRIST. 

COXVERSATION. 
I. 

THE JEWS UNDER THE BABYLONIANS. 
Babylon.— Its location. — When and by whom founded. — Nineveh. — Division of 
Assyrian Empire. — Invasion and destruction of Nineveh. — Daniel in Babylon. 
— Secoud transportation of Jews to Babylon. — Desolation of the country. — 
Description of the walls of Babylon and objects of interest. — Cyrus. — The capt- 
ure of Babylon 379 

^^ IT. 

THE JEWS UNDER THE MEDO-PERSIANS. 
Darius. — Daniel the prophet made a prince. — Death of Darius. — The proclamation 
of Cyrus.— Liberating the Jews. — Cyrus fore- ordained for this act. — The in- 
fluence of Daniel in restoration. — Zerubbabel the leader. — A contribution of 
over three hundred and fifty thousand dollars. — An example of liberality. — 
Laying the foundation of the second temple. — Zoroaster the philosopher. — The 
Zend-Avesta. — Xerxes. — His immense array 387 

IIL 

THE JEWS UNDER THE MEDO-PERSIANS. 
Artaxerxes supposed to have been the husband of Esther. — The decree of divorce. — 
Ezra and his commission. — The prediction of Daniel. — Ezra's government. — The 
great work of his life. — Introduction of the synagogue. — Nehemiah builds the 
walls of Jerusalem. — Origin of the Samaritan pentateuch. — Malachi the last of 
the prophets. — Socrates the philosopher. — Plato born 396 

IV. 
PROPHETS DURING THE CAPTIVITY. 
Daniel.— His three companions. — Their education.— Enrolled among the king's serv- 
ants.— Daniel's interpretation of the king's dream.— His elevation to posts of 



16 TABLE OF CONTENTS. 



PAGE. 

honor. — The image of Nebuchadnezzar. — The king's second dream. — Daniel's 
visions, — The hand- writing on the wall. — Honored bj Darius.— -In tlie den of 
lions. — His death.— Book of Daniel doubted , 406 

V. 

PROPHETS DURING THE CAPTIVITY. 
Ezekiel. — Contemporary with Jeremiah. — Called to the prophetic office. — Death of 
his wife. — Forbidden to mourn for her. — His character and reputation among the 
Jews. — His regard for Daniel. — His probable death in Chaldea at an old age. . .414 

VI. 
PROPHETS IN JUDEA AFTER THE RESTORATION. 
Haggai. — "What is known concerning him.— Returns from captivity. — Zechariah.— 
Latter part of his book called in question. — His peculiarities. — Malachi.--Last 
of the prophets. — Date of his labors.— General character of this book of proph- 
ecy 418 

VII. 

SKETCH OF JEWISH HISTORY BETWEEN THE TWO TESTAMENTS. 
Dark period of the church's history. — Fall of the Persian empire. — Alexander the 
Great. — His treatment of the Jews. — His remarkable dream. — Its results. — The 
request of the Jews. — Alexander's death. — Origin of the Septuagint. — The 
famou* Alexandrian library. — The founder. — The revolt of the Maccabees. — 
Who they were. — The Roman sway commenced — Herod's shocking cruelty. — 
Origin of the Pharisees and Sadducees. — Their belief. — Coming of Christ. . . 426 



THIRD BOOK. 

FEOM THE COMING OF CHEIST TO THE END. 

CONVERSATION. 
I. 

LIFE OF CHRIST. 
Year of birth uncertain. — Singular tradition of the Jews. — The seven thousand 
years. — The wise men. — The star in the east. — What it was. — Jesus among the 
doctors. — John the Baptist. — Place where Christ was baptized. — First miracle. 
— The Sermon on the Mount. — John beheaded to please the daughter of Herod's 
wife 436 

TI. 

LIFE OF CHRIST CONTINUED. 

Miracles of Jesus. — His journeys. — His approaching end. — His transfiguration. — 

Paying tribute. — Seventy preachers sent out.— Raising the dead — Endeavors to 

entrap the Savior. — The rich man and Lazarus. — Incidents in the ministry of 

Jesus 446 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. 17 



III. FAtiiS. 

LIFE OF CHRIST CONTINUED. 
Contract to betray Christ. — The price less tlian twenty dollars. — An astounding revela- 
tion. — The garden of Gethsemane. — Crucifixion a Eoman mode of punishing crim- 
inals. — The message of Pilate's wife concerning Jesus. — The death on the 
cross. — Burial in Joseph's new tomb. — The resurrection. — Scenes after. — The 
ascension 457 

lY. 

THE NEW DISPENSATION. 
The Old and the New. — The church under each. — Different dispensations. — Com- 
mencement of the new. — Who comprised the church at the time of Christ's 
death. — The Pentecost. — Changing the day of rest or Sabbath. — Reasons of the 
change. — The form of admitting new members into the church. — Acts of the 
Apostles 470 

V. 

THE APOSTOLIC CHURCH. 
How it was formed. — Deacons appointed and their duties. — Vision of Stephen. — His 
cruel death. — Persecution of the Christians — Saul of Tarsus. — Scattering abroad. 
— Spread of the gospel. — Laying on of hands. — Saul's conversion. — Peter raises 
Lydia from the dead. — Peter in prison 477 

YI. 
Ln^S OF THE APOSTLES. 
Peter. — Doctrines of the Roman church. — His labors. — His death and last request. — 
Andrew. — Brother to Peter. — His character and labors. — Origin of St. Andrew's 
—cross. — James the elder. — Brother of John. — First to suffer martyrdom — Roman 
traditions. — Philip. — First called by Christ. — Supposed field of labor and death. — 
Nathaniel. — Special friend of Peter. — What tradition says of him. — Matthew 
wealthy. — Author of one of the books of the New Testament. — Thomas. — His 
character. — Goes to Egypt and establishes a church in India 489 

YII. 
LI^TES OF THE APOSTLES CONTINUED. 
Simon Zelotes. — His supposed mission. — Jude. — His labors and work among the Gen- 
tiles. — Matthias. — Taken in place of Judas. — James the Less. — Claimed to be a 
brother of Christ. — Objections to this. — John. — His labors and travels. — Tradi- 
tions.— Interesting incident in his life. . , 497 

YIII. 
LIFE OF THE APOSTLE PAUL. 
A Jew and also a Roman citizen. — His education. — His persecution of Christians. — 
His conversion. — Enters immediately upon the work of the Christian ministry. — 
Miracles and cures performed. — Astonishment of the people. — Stoned by the 
mob. — An important question settled. — First great controversy in the Christian 
church. — Peter rebuked by Paul 506 



J8 TABLE OF CONTEXTS, 

\-\^^ PAGE., 

LIFE OF THE APOSTLE PAUL CONTINUED. 
Riot of the silver-smiths. — Their business of idol making in danger. — Farewell to 
Ephesus. — Return to Jerusalem. — Vi.sit to the house of James. — Paul's artifice 
and the evil results. — Eescued from danger by Roman soldiers. — Paul before 
Felix and Agrippa. — A noble speech. — Shipwreck. — Paul at Rome. — His death. . 516 

X. 

COMPANIONS OF THE APOSTLES. 
Mark. — His connection with the Apostles. — Manner of his cruel death. — Luke. — The 
beloved physician. — His association with Paul. — B.irnabas. — Born in Cyprus. — His 
early acquaintance with Paul.— Their separation. — Timothy. — Early piety.— Paul 
his teacher in Christianity. — Accompanies him. — Titus. — Another of Paul's Evan- 
gelists. — Supposed to have been bishop of Crete . 529 

XI. 

THE EPISTLES OF PAUL. 
Epistle to the Thessalonians. — Location of the church. — Object of the first and second 
epistles to the Thessalonians. — The letter to the Galatians. — Great need of this 
letter. — Galatia and why so called. — Paul's defense of his apostleship. — Proof of 
his commission. — His apostleship called in question 537 

XTT. 
FIRST EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS. 
Beauty of Corinth. — Great commercial importance. — Distinguislied for wealth, lux- 
ury and dissipation. — Circumstances connected with Paul's first visit to Corinth. 
— Becomes the Apostle to the Gentiles. — Brought before Gallio — Reproofs and 
instructions. — Falsity of the concluding inscriptions of this and other P^pistles. — 
First and second Epistles to Timothy 545 

xiir. 

PAUL'S EPISTLE TO THE ROIMANS. 
When written. — Peter not the founder of the church at Rome. — Doctrines taught by 
this Book. — Discussions aroused by this Epistle. — Its several sub-divisions. — Prac- 
tical directions for Christians. — Beauty and value of the instructions 557 

XIV. 
EPISTLES OF PAUL CONTINUED. 
Paul's first voyage to Rome. — His writings while there. — Epistle to the Ephesians. — 
Christianity introduced there by Paul.— Analysis of this letter.— The Epistle to 
the Colossians. — The first church established by Paul and Silas 562 

XV. 

EPISTLES OF PAUL CONTINUED. 
Epistle to Philemon.— Who Philemon was.— The servant of Philemon.— The ques- 
tion of human slavery, — Did Paul countenance it. — Epistle to the Philippians. — 
Description of Philippi.— Paul and Silas co-laborers here.— Miraculous deliver- 
ance from prison. — Character of this Epistle. 568 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. 19 

XVI. ^^«^- 

EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. 
The Jews to whom this was written. — Disputed authorship. — The leading idea of 
this Epistle. — Bishop Clement of Rome. — Paul's friend. — Paul's authorship 
established. — The importance of the authorship of this Epistle. — One of the 
most valued parts of the New Testament 573 



XVII. 
EPISTLE TO TITUS. 
One of Paul's evangelists. — His field of labor.— Introduction of the Gospel into 
Crete. — The commission of Titus to appoint elders. — Second Epistle to Tim- 
othy. — The last of Paul's Epistles. — Expectation of death. — In prison. — Beauti- 
ful sentiments 582 



XVIII. 
THE EPISTLE OP JAMES. 
Authorship of this Epistle. — Unbelief of the Lord's brothers and kin in his Messiah- 
ship. — James the bishop of Jerusalem. — The scattered tribes. — Who they were. 
— A question. — Are the Ten tribes still in existence as a distinct people. — Epistle 
of Jude. — Character of this letter 588 

XIX. 

THE FIRST EPISTLE OF PETER. 
The strangers mentioned in this letter. — Who they were. — The Jewish school at 
Babylon. — Its distinguished character. — The Babylon as it was at that time. — 
Second Epistle of Peter. — Its design. — Important doctrine disclosed 594 



XX. 

THE FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN. 
Design of this Epistle. — The literal body of Christ denied. — John's description of 
Anti-Christ. — The doctrine of the atonement. — The unpardonable sin. — The sec- 
ond and third Epistles of St. Jolm 600 

XXI. 

THE REVELATION. 
Doubts as to the authorship. — Reasons for those doubts. — When written. — Banish- 
ment of John. — State of the Seven Churches at this time. — The scheme of the 
Jesuits. — Different interpretations 604 

XXII. 
THE REVELATION CONTINUED. 
Location of Patmos. — Use of it by the Romans. — Vision of John.— Explanation of 
the symbols of the first two chapters. — The number seven. — Cherubim. — What 
it is. — The sea of glass. — The new song — Universal salvation. — Is it universal? . 609 



20 TABLE OF CONTENTS. 



XXIII. ^^<5E. 

THE REVELATION CONTINUED. 
Predictions. — To what they refer. — God's design in making the Revelation. — Sym- 
bols. — What they are. — The division of the Apocalypse. — Explanation of the 
white horse. — The seven seals. — The seven trumpets. — The mighty angel with 
the rainbow about his head.— Adventism 61; 

xxiy. 

THE REVELATION CONCLUDED. 
The 1260 days. — Their significance and duration. — The Millennium. — Difficulties of 
ascertaining the time of its coming. — One valuable clue. — Some interesting de- 
ductions. — The first resurrection. — What we are to understand by it. — The beau- 
tiful City of God.— And the final End of the World 624 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 



FIEST BOOK. 

FROM THE BEGINNING TO THE CAPTIVITY IN BABYLON. 



CONVERSATION I. 

DO WE NEED A BIBLE ?— Universal desire for further light.— The Bible's inspira- 
tion. — Its necessity. — Nature versus Revelation. — Nature the only light of the heathen. — 
Its abuse and perversion. — Nature's insufficiency confirmed. — Original universality of 
Revelation. — Subsequent loss and reasons for its slow development throughout the world. 

Son. — You recommend to me, dear father, a careful study of the 
Bible, and promise to assist me in my inquiries. I thank you for 
your kindness, and shall gladly undertake what you propose. But 
if I study the Bible at all, I wish to do it understandingly ; and be- 
fore directly entering upon it, I shall be glad to confer with you, at 
some length, on the subject. I know you will be patient with me, 
and give me all the assistance in your power. 

—The Bible professes to be a supernatural revelation from God. 
Is it likely that God has ever made such a revelation ? Is a revela- 
tion like this necessary for us — so necessary as to call for such a 
display of power and grace ? The book of nature is ever open to 
us, and some people tell us that this is enough. Its teachings, they 
say, are clear and ample, and we need no more. 

Father. — Your inquiry, my son, is a proper one, and I shall be 
very happy to discuss it with you. Far be it from me to depreciate 
the light and the teachings of nature. They are of great imj)or- 
tance to us, and should be thankfully received. They are sufficient 
to teach us the existence and, to some extent, the perfections of 
God. The Apostle Paul tells that " the invisible things of- him are 
clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even 
his eternal power and Godhead " (Rom. i, 20). The light of nature 



22 CONVERSATIOXS OX TEE BIBLE. 

I deem sufficient, if the best possible use were made of it, to guide 
a soul — even a sinful soul — to heaven. Without a revelation, we 
might know that there is a God, and that we are sinners against 
him. We might feel under obligations to repent of sin, and, through 
the power of the Spirit, might be led to repentance. I hope some 
of the heathen have been brought to repentance in this way. And 
sure I am that a penitent heathen will never be lost. 

S. — I am happy to hear you speak in this way. Your w^ords 
are those of kindness and charity. But if the light of nature can 
do so much for us, what need have we, I ask again, for further 
light ? Is not this sufficient ? 

F. — I have spoken of what might be done in heathen lands, 
on supposition that the best possible use was made of the light 
and the teachings of nature. But is the best possible use made of 
these teachings among the heathen? Has it ever been? Is it 
likely to be ? Is not the light of nature everywhere perverted and 
abused ? And to prevent the benighted nations from all perishing 
together, do they not need a clearer and a stronger light — a light 
shining down upon them directly from heaven ? 

S. — Perhaps they do. 

F. — If you w^ill give me your attention for a moment, I will 
set before you, in the fewest words possible, some of the reasons 
which satisfy me that, in addition to all that reason and nature have 
done, we do need a direct revelation from God. A revelation is 
needed, in the first place, to make us acquainted with many impor- 
tant truths concerning which the teachings of nature afford no light 
at all. Such, for example, is the peculiar mode of the Divine ex- 
istence — three persons in one God ; the appropriate manner of wor- 
shiping the Supreme Being ; the introduction of sin ; the gift of the 
Savior ; the doctrine of atonement by his death ; the descent and 
work of the Holy Spirit; the provisions and ordinances of the gos- 
pel; the»resurrection of the body ; the general judgment ; with the 
endless awards and retributions which are to follow it. Now these 
are all important truths, — some of them vastly and vitally so. Yet 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 23 

they are subjects in regard to which nature's voice is dumb. She 
teaches nothing contrary to them, and nothing about them. They 
are purely subjects of revelation. And do we not need a revelation 
to enlighten us in regard to topics such as these ? On subjects so 
essential to our spiritual and eternal welfare, to our happiness in 
this world and forever, how can we afford to live and die in igno- 
rance and darkness ? 

But this is not all. We need a revelation, not only to make us 
acquainted with new and important truths, but to repiihlish and 
confirm many things which are taught by the light of nature, to 
give weight and authority to them, and thus make them effectual 
for the recovery and salvation of men. Dim as the light of nature 
is, those who have no other light knoiv^ in the general, much better 
than they do ; and they will be condemned hereafter, not for their 
want of light, but for their abuse of it. They sin against the light 
they have. They break the law of God inscribed upon the con- 
science and the heart, and do violence to their own convictions of 
duty. In short, the motives which the religion of nature presents, 
though sufficient to leave the heathen without excuse, are found 
practically to have but little influence. They need the more ex- 
iting and weighty motives of the gospel to restrain and subdue 
the power of sin, and, by the Divine blessing, to become the means 
of tiieir salvation. . 

S, — Are the positions you have here taken confirmed in the his- 
tory of heathen nations ? 

F. — Yes, and much more than confirmed. Look at the religions 
of these nations — a miserable compound of absurdity, superstition 
and corruption. Their divinities are, for the most part, monsters 
of wickedness, — vindictive and sanguinary, jealous, wrathful, cruel 
and obscene. And the morals of heathen nations are no better 
than their religions. No people can be expected to be much better 
than their gods; and certainly, if the heathen are no better than 
their gods, their characters must be miserably defective. In conse- 
quence of the labors of missionaries, this subject is much better 



24 CONVERSATIOXS ON THE BIBLE. 

understood than it was only a few 3^ears ago ; and every ray of light 
which has been shed upon it serves only to reveal the grossness of 
its enormities. Not a missionary paper or journal is published, 
touching the religious rites of the heathen nations, which is not a 
standing testimony to their need of a revelation from heaven. 

S. — You have certainly made out a strong case in regard to our 
need of a revelation. There is no gainsaying it, still, I have one 
more question to ask. If a revelation from heaven is so necessary 
for man, why has it been confined to only a small part of the human 
race ? Wh}^ has it not been given to all men ? 

F. — These certainly are fair questions. I shall endeavor to give 
to them a fair and sufficient answer. You will remember then, that, 
at the first, God did reveal himself to all men, and to all alike. 
The revelations which were made to our first parents, and to their 
immediate descendants, were a common gift. They were imparted 
and intended for the benefit of the race. And then, at the repeo- 
pling of the world by Noah, God again revealed himself to all alike. 
He revealed himself not only to the posterity of Shem, but to the 
immediate descendants of Ham and Japhet. The proper question, 
therefore, is not, why has not God given his revelations to all men ; 
but, why have liis revelations been, to so great an extent, disre- 
garded and lost ? They luere originally made to all ; but vast portions 
of our corrupted family, because they did not like to retain God in 
their knowledge, have lost them, and have sunk into heathenish 
darkness and ignorance. 

And after the knowledge of the true God was lost, except in 
the family of Abraham, what pains were taken (if I may be allowed 
*such an expression) to extend this important knowledge to the 
surrounding nations? For this purpose, Abraham was sent into 
Canaan, and the Israelites into Egypt, and Jonah to Nineveh, and 
the Jews to Babylon. Prophecies were uttered and fulfilled, mir- 
acles were wrought, and Divine judgments were inflicted, that, as 
the Scriptures express it, " all the people of the earth might know 
the hand of the Lord, and might fear his name forever " (Josh. iv. 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 2o 

24). And almost two thousand years ago, Christ left it in solemn 
injunction to his disciples, " Go ye into all the world, and preach 
the gospel to every creature." Surely then, whoever else may be to 
blame that the revelations of God are not more widel}' diffused, 
he is abundantly clear in this matter. No reasonable objection can 
be sustained against him. 



CONVEESATION II. 

WHAT BELONGS TO THE BIBLE 1— Apocryphal books of the Old and New Testa- 
ments—Their exclusion. — Authority of the received books. — The majority of one a 
fiction. — Books of the Bible — Their preservation. — Collected by Ezra. — Later Addi- 
tions. —Jewish manuscripts and our present Bible. — Do they agree ? — Probabilities and 
proofs. — First acceptance of the Apocryphal books by the Roman Church. — Their in- 
credible absurdity. — Their value. — Canon of the New Testament. — Council of Laodicea. 
— Revelation of John. — Genuineness of the accepted books. 

Soyi. — Before entering directly upon the study of the Bible, there 
are some further preliminaries requiring to be settled. Besides 
what is contained within the covers of our Bibles, there are other 
books claiming to belong there. There are the apocryphal books 
of both the Old and the New Testaments. Why are they excluded, 
and by what authority? We hear of a council called in the early 
days of the church, to determine Avhat books should go into the 
Bible, and that the question was decided in favor of the received 
books by a majority of one. Was such a council ever held? And 
if so, on what authority was their decision based? In short, I 
wdsh to know, before proceeding further, what books belong to the 
Bible, and what not. 

Father. — Your request is reasonable, my son, and I will endeavor 
to answer it. As to the council of which you have heard, which 
decided in favor of the received books by a majority of one, suffice 
it to say that no such council ever existed. The story is a fiction 
of modern infidelity. There were councils in the third and fourth 
centuries which recorded the books actually received by the 
churches, but none which were called together to decide what 
books ought to be received. 

S. — Please tell us, first, about the history of the Old Testament. 

F. — The Old Testament consists of thirty-nine books, written by 
different persons and at different times, from Moses to the latest 
of the Hebrew prophets. These books, or so many of them as had 
then been written, were carefully preserved in the Sanctuary until, 
the destruction of the temple by Nebuchadnezzar, when the sacred 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 27 



autographs were probably destroyed. Copies of them were, how- 
ever, preserved; and after the return from Babylon, the books 
w^ere collected, edited, and published in a volume, by Ezra, an in- 
spired priest. Some books, however, were added after the days of 
Ezra. Such were the prophecy of Malachi, the books of Nehemiah 
and Esther, and some parts of the books of Chronicles. 

S. — But you seem to deal in probabilities. Is there not some- 
thing more decisive to be advanced ? 

F. — I have given you the probable history of the books of the 
Old Testament, as we liave received them from the Jews. In view 
of it, two questions arise, and only two, which, as Christians, we 
are entitled to ask. First, did the Old Testament, as it existed in 
the days of our Savior, receive his sanction ? And, secondly, did 
the Old Testament, which he sanctioned, contain the same books as 
ours ? 

That our Savior received and sanctioned what he usually called 
the Scriptures^ regarding them as the word of God, and as of bind- 
ing authority, there can be no doubt. It was these out of which he 
reasoned ; to these he constantly ,appealed ; it was these which he 
opened and explained to his followers ; it was by these that he 
"silenced and confounded his adversaries. " Search the Scriptures, 
for in them ye think ye have eternal life." " The Scriptures cannot 
be broken." " Blessed are they that hear the word of God, and 
keep it." Our Savior speaks of the sacred writings under the three- 
fold division of "the law, the prophets, and the psalms;" and says 
that all things written in them concerning him must be fulfilled 
(Luke xxiv. 44). It is a fact, then, that our Savior did sanction^ 
in the most explicit terms, a class of writings held sacred among 
the Jews, speaking of them as " the word of G-od^ which must be 
fulfilled." 

We come then to our second question. Were the Scriptures, which 
Dur Savior thus confirmed and sanctioned, the same as our Old Tes- 
tament ? In other words, did his Old Testament and ours agree ? 
W^ere the books the same? If it can be shown that they were 



28 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

the same, I insist that, as Christians, we should ask no more ques- 
tions. 

S. — Thus far, the argument seems to me decisive. But I want 
to hear your answer to the second question. 

F. — That the books of the Old Testament are the same now that 
they were in the days of Christ and the Apostles, will be evident, 
I think, from the following considerations : 

1. The Septuagint translation of the Old Testament, which was 
made long before the birth of Christ, contains all the present canon- 
ical books. Certain apocryphal writings have since been bound up 
with the Septuagint, but there is no reason to think that they made 
any part of it in the days of our Savior. 

2. Josephus, who lived in the first century, gives an account of 
the sacred books of the Jews in his time ; and it is evident from his 
description of them, that they were the same as ours. He speaks, 
indeed, of but twenty-two books ; but this is to be accounted for 
from a device of the Rabbins to make the number of books corre- 
spond exactly with the number of Hebrew letters. To effect this, 
they joined together several of the books ; as Judges and Ruth, 
Ezra and Nehemiah, Jeremiah and the Lamentations, and all the 
minor prophets. Josephus gives an account of the authors and 
contents of the several books. '' Five of them proceed from Moses. 
These include the laAVS, and an account of the creation of man, ex- 
tending to the time of Moses' death — a period of almost three thou- 
sand years. From the death of Moses to that of Artaxerxes, king of 
Persia, the prophets who succeeded Moses committed to writing, 
in thirteen books, what was done in their day. The remaining four 
books contain hymns to God, and instructions of life for man."* 
It will be seen that this division of the books corresponds entirely 
to that mentioned by our Savior — " The law, the prophets, and the 
psalms." • It agrees also with the Old Testament of the present day. 

3. Several of the Christian Fathers furnish catalogues of the 
books of the Old Testament ; and although there are slight varia- 

*Against Apion, Book i, sect. 8. 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 29 

tions in these catalogues, it is certain that the canon was settled in 
those early times, and has undergone no alteration since. 

4. Since the time of Christ, the Jews and Christians have been 
spies upon each other ; so that, if either party Avas disposed to dis- 
turb the canon of the Old Testament, it would be impossible to 
effect it without instant exposure. 

From all these considerations, we may be sure that the Old Tes- 
tament is the same now that it was in the time of Christ ; and 
since he received and sanctioned it, as it then was., we have his sanc- 
tion for it as it now is. And this, as I said, is enough for Chris- 
tians. We cannot be in fault in receiving and holding the Old 
Testament Scriptures as they were held by our blessed Lord. 

This argument is not only conclusive upon Christians, but it is 
comprehensive. It settles the authority not only of the Old Testa 
ment in the general, but of each and every book comprised in it. 
We have no occasion to prove the authority of any particular book, 
as, for example, the Canticles, or the book of Esther, any further 
than to show that it belonged to the canon in the time of Christ, 
and as such received his Divine approval. 

aS*. — But in connection with our Bibles, we frequently find a class 
of apocryphal hooks ; and the question arises. Why are not these of 
canonical authority ? Why should they not be received by us, as 
they are by the church of Rome ? 

F. — In reply to this, I observe, first, that these books are not 
found in the Hebrew Bible. They were written originally, not in 
Hebrew, but in Greek, — a language which was not common among 
the Jews until long after the canon of the Old Testament was closed. 
Secondly, these books have never been received into the canon of 
the Jews. They are ancient Jewish writings, but have never been 
held by that people as inspired, or as a part of their Bible. Then, 
thirdly, these books are never quoted or referred to in the New 
Testament, as possessing any Divine authorit3\ Indeed, they are not 
quoted at all. Fourthly, these books were not received as canonical 
by the Christian fathers, but were expressly declared to be apocry- 



30 CONVERSATIOXS OX THE BIBLE. 

phal. Indeed, until the middle of the sixteenth century, the most 
learned and judicious popish writers adhere to the opinion of the 
ancient fathers, and declare against the canonical authority of the 
apocryphal books. 

But if there \yas no other argument against these books, the in- 
ternal eyidence would be decisiye. They contain many things 
which are fabulous, absurd, and incredible. They inculcate false 
doctrine, and a false and unchristian morality. In the second of 
the Maccabees, we read : " It is a holy and wholesome thought to 
pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from their sins " (Chap, 
xii. 43, 45). The writer of the same book justifies and commends 
suicide (see Chap. xiy. 41, 42). In seyeral places in the Apocrypha, 
atonement and justifica)tion are said to be secured by good works. 
'' Whoso honoreth his father maketh atonement for his sins " (Ecc. 
iii. 3). "Alms delivereth from death, and shall purge away all sin" 
(Tobit xii. 9). 

S. — But these Apocryphal books are yery readable, and some of 
them contain much valuable information. 

F. — In judging of the Apocryphal books, I would award them all 
the praise to which they can be regarded as entitled. They possess 
a high yalue considered as ancient Jewish writings, which not only 
throw light upon the phraseology of Scripture, and upon the his- 
tory and manners of the East, but exhibit the state of the Jewish 
nation at a very interesting and critical period of its history. Still, 
they have no claim to be admitted into the sacred canon, or to be 
regarded as of Divine authority. The English liturgy enjoins the 
reading of certain portions of these books in the churches ; and it 
is on this account, probabl}^ that we so often find them enclosed 
within the covers of our Bibles. 

>S'. — Will you now inform us, briefly, as to the canon of the New 
Testament ? 

F. — Like that of the Old Testament, this seems not to have been 
settled at once. The Apostle Peter was acquainted with the Epis- 
tles of Paul, and places them on a level with " the other Scriptures' 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 31 

(II Peter iii. 16). Eusebius tells iis that John was acq-aainted with 
the other three Gospels, gave them his approbation, and wrote his 
own as a supplement to them, — which accords entirely with the 
contents of John's Gospel. In all probability, John was acquainted 
with most of the other books of the New Testament, as their au- 
thority seems to have been established soon after his death. Their 
authority was not established however (as infidels have pretended) 
by any decree of council, or by any formal act of the whole church, 
but by the testimony of competent witnesses, and by the various 
evidences presented in behalf of the received books, that they really 
were the works of inspired men, and carried with them the author- 
itv of God. The council of Laodicea, Avhich assembled in the year 
364, published a catalogue of received books ; but their decree was 
not so much legislative as declaratory^ setting forth what w^as, and 
had been, the sense of the church in regard to this important matter. 

S. — This was an important point to be decided in the early church. 
Is there evidence that the fathers examined it with care, and settled 
it truthfully? 

F. — In settling the canon of the New Testament, the fathers seem 
to have proceeded with great care and deliberation. They aid not 
receive ever3'thing which was thrown out upon the world under the 
]iame of ajDOstolical men. The claims of every book were can- 
vassed, and nothing was admitted but upon the fullest examination. 
It was owing to this circumstance, that doubts were, for a time, 
entertained with regard to some of the received books; as, for 
example, the Epistle to the Hebrews, the second Epistle of Peter, 
the two short Epistles of John, and the Revelation. We knoAv why 
doubts were entertained respecting these books, and hoiv they were 
removed. We have the means of judging in regard to this matter 
almost as well as the fathers themselves. 

S. — Do we know on what principles the early fathers proceeded 
in deciding upon the several books ? 

F. — They would admit such books, and such only, as could be 
proved to have been written by the Apostles themselves, or by 



32 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

their attendants, and under their inspection. Thus the Gospels of 
Mark and Luke, and the Acts of the Apostles were received into 
the canon, because, though not written by Apostles, they were 
written by the attendants of Peter and Paul, and undoubtedly re- 
ceived their sanction. Regard was also had to the contents of the 
books received. Anything occurring in any particular book which 
Avas contrary to wdiat the Apostles taught, or to the rules wdiich 
they established, would be deemed a sufficient reason for rejecting 
the book. Also, in deciding upon the claims of a book, autliorify 
and example were allowed to have due weight. With those W'ho 
had not had opportunity of personal knowledge and examination, 
the judgment and practice of other churches and individuals had, 
— as it should have had, — much influence. 

It was on principles such as these, and after much care and delib- 
eration, that the canon of the New^ Testament was finally settled. 
It was settled during the first half of the second century, wdthin 
fifty years of the death of the Apostle John. 

S. — Many books Avere published during the first four centuries, 
bearing the names of Apostles, or of Apostolical men, and claiming 
to possess a Divine authority. Several of these have been pub- 
lished in a volume, under the title of " Apocryphal books of the 
New Testament." Can you tell us w^hy these books w^ere rejected ? 

F. — The reasons for rejecting them were such as these : They are 
not acknowledged or quoted as of any authority by the early 
Christian fathers. Indeed, the most of them are not quoted at 
all, as they had no existence before the third century. They are 
not quoted by the earliest enemies of Christianity, as they certainly 
would have been, had they been extant, and been generally re- 
ceived by Christians. These apocryphal books contradict, in many 
points, the doctrine and practice of the Apostles. Things are often 
mentioned in them which occurred later than the time when the 
books purport to have been written. They contain contradictions 
of authentic history, both sacred and profane. The style and man- 
ner of the books is exceedingly diverse from, and inferior to, that 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 33 

of the Apostolical writings. In short, they contain many things 
ludicrous, frivolous and absurd, and in not a few instances palpable 
falsehoods. Thus, in one of the pretended epistles of Seneca to 
Paul, the Emperor Nero is said to have been surprised and delighted 
with Paul's Epistles to the churches. 

On the whole, we have abundant reason to acquiesce in the decis- 
ions of the early fathers and churches, both as to what they received 
as coming from God, and what they rejected. They had the best 
means of judging in regard to this important matter ; they looked 
into it considerately and carefully ; they proceeded upon the sound- 
est principles ; and we may well be satisfied with their decisions. 



CONVERSATION III. 

BY WHOM AND WHEN WERE THE BOOKS OF THE BIBLE WRITTEN?-^ 

Books of the Bible chronologically untrue, and the authors not as represented. — Fallacj 
of such an assertion. — Proofs of genuineness. — The books of the New Testament. — 
Investigation concerning them. — Facts and conclusions regarding the books of the Old 
Testament. — External testimony in proof. — Internal evidence. — Enemies and infidels. — 
Research of modern times. — Difficulties and objections removed. 

Son. — I have other questions to ask in regard to the books of 
the Bible, before I enter upon the study of them. I mean not to be 
tedious, but I want to tread on solid ground. It is pretended, you 
know, that most of these books were written, not at the times com- 
monly supposed, nor by the persons to whom they are respectively 
attributed. The books ascribed to Moses, it is said, must have 
been written subsequent to the captivity ; and the book of Daniel 
later than the time of the Syrian kings ; and the four gospels as 
late as the third or fourth century. Now I wish to know, if possi- 
ble, when these books were written, and by whom. Can you give 
us any light in regard to this matter ? 

Father. — Your inquiry relates to what is commonly called the aur 
thenticity of the sacred writings. On this point I may remark, in 
general, that we have stronger reasons for believing in the authen- 
ticity of our sacred books than we have for holding the same opin- 
ion with regard to any other ancient books or writings. Let the 
evidence be collected in favor of the authenticity of any of the 
distinguished works of the ancients ; for example, the Orations of 
Cicero, or the Odes of Horace, or the ^neid of Virgil, and I will 
undertake to produce stronger evidence in support of the authen- 
ticity of almost an}' of our sacred books. To begin with the books 
of the New Testament : We certainl}" know, from a great variety of 
historical evidence, that these books were in existence near the time 
when they purport to have been written. They are not only re- 
ferred to, but expressly spoken of, and largely quoted by writers of 
that period. We know, too, that they were then attributed both 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 36 

by friends and enemies, and have all along been attributed, to the 
individuals whose names they bear. 

The books of the Old Testament were certainly in existence when 
those of the New were written, and had been for ages previous. 
They had been collected into a volume, and translated into Greek, 
more than two centuries before the birth of Christ. At the time of 
their translation, they were regarded as very ancient writings. The 
primitive Christians received these books from the Jews, all of whom, 
both ancient and modern, unite in ascribing them to those holy 
and venerable men, to whom they are now respectively attributed. 

The early Christians, as was remarked in our last conversation, 
had the best opportunities for testing the authenticity of the books 
they received. We know, too, that they were exceedingly cautious 
in this matter, looking well into the evidence of things, sifting it 
to the bottom, doubting where doubts could be reasonably enter- 
tained, and rejecting whatever was found to lack sufficient proof; 
and it should seem that the grounds on which they satisfied them- 
selves ought to be sufficient to satisf}' us. 

Let it be further considered, if our sacred books are not the pro- 
ductions of those whose names they bear, then they are forgeries. 
But forged when, and by whom ? Who can give any probable 
or even plausible answer to either of these questions? And if 
these books were forged, how are Ave to account for their original 
reception? Would the Jews, for example, have received their 
laws, purporting to have been given by Moses, from any hand but 
that of Moses ? Or would the primitive Christians have received 
their sacred books from any other hands than those of the Apostles 
and evangelists? They promptly rejected everything which was 
attempted to be palmed upon them from other hands ; and they 
would have rejected the books of the New Testament, had they not 
been fully satisfied as to their genuineness. 

aS'. — Have we any external testimony as to the authenticity of our 
sacred books ? More especially, have we any from the early ene- 
mies of Christianity ? 



36 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

F. — Yes, testimony in abundance. Among the ancient heathen 
who wrote against Christianity, and whose writings have, in part, 
come down to us, were Celsus, a philosopher of the second century, 
and Porphyry of the third, and the Emperor Julian, once a pro- 
fessed Christian, but afterwards a bitter opposer of the truth. 
Celsus, who wrote within sixty years of the Apostolic age, so far 
from denying the authenticity of the Gospels, insists that they are 
authentic, — the works of the personal friends and followers of the 
Nazarene ; and he undertakes to refute the Christians out of their 
own acknowledged books. He quotes freely from all parts of the 
Bible, speaking of it as a collection of writings which the Christians 
of that day regarded as of the highest authority. The same may be 
said of Porphyry and Julian ; though we know less of the charac- 
ter of their writings, as fewer fragments of them remain. The infi- 
dels of that age had no thought of denying the authenticity of our 
sacred books. They rather assumed their authenticity, and argued 
from it in opposition to their truth. 

S. — And what said the early heretics on this subject ? 

F. — The church was early infested with heretics, who denied the 
doctrines of the Gospel, and were interested to get rid of those 
parts of Scripture in which these doctrines were inculcated. Such 
were Corinthus, the Ebionites, and the Nazarenes. They all denied 
the Apostleship of Paul, and rejected his Epistles as constituting 
any part of Scripture. Still, they did not doubt the authenticity 
of these Epistles. They admitted that Paul wrote them with his 
own hand. In the same way, and for the same reason, they rejected 
the Gospels of Mark, Luke, and John ; receiving only a corrupted 
copy of the Gospel of Matthew. Still, they did not deny the au- 
thenticity of the three rejected Gospels, but discarded them on 
other grounds. They disliked their contents, and wished to be rid 
of them. 

aS'. — In proving the authenticity of our sacred books, may any 
arguments be drawn from the books themselves ? 

F. — Yes, there are many such. Take, for example, their frequent 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 37 

and accurate allusions to cotemporaneous events. The allusions in 
the books of Moses to various historical events prove that these 
books must have been written about the time of Moses. The 
knowledge of a later writer would not have been sufficiently minute 
and accurate. And the same may be said of the allusions generally 
in the other books of the Bible. They are numerous, particular, 
evidently undesigned, and yet (so far as can be gathered from other 
sources) entirely accurate. 

Then the different books of Scripture go to confirm the authen- 
ticity one of another. For example ; it is claimed that the books 
of Moses were the first written of any part of the Old Testament ; 
and who that reads attentively the Old Testament Scriptures can 
doubt the truth of this ? The allusions all the way to the Jewish 
law, and more especially to the ritual parts of it, are so frequent, 
and so manifestly incidental, as to prove that the law must have 
been in existence, and in bimiing force, when the other books were 
written. It is claimed that a part of the prophets were cotempo- 
rary with the kings of Judah and Israel ; that others wrote during 
the captivity ; and still others after the captivity. Now let any in- 
telligent, fair-minded person compare the historical and prophetical 
books, to see whether the allusions, one way and the other, are ac- 
curate, and I am sure he can come to but one conclusion. He 
will say, that Isaiah and Hezekiah, that Jeremiah and Zedekiah, 
that Daniel and Nebuchadnezzar, that Haggai and Zerubbabel, must 
have lived and flourished together. It is further claimed that the 
same Paul, whose history is given in the Acts of the Aj)ostles, is 
the author of the Epistles which bear his name : and that most of 
these Epistles were written while this history Avas in progress. 
We are entitled, therefore, to compare the Acts and the Epistles, 
and see if this claim is one of truth. This work, I hardly need 
say, has been done to our hand by Dr. Paley, in his admirable 
little work entitled Horse Paulinse, and no candid person can read 
that book and not be satisfied. 

S. — After all the efforts which have been made, in our day", to 



38 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

disprove the authenticity of our sacred books, do you regard the 
evidence in support of it as increasing or diminishing ? Is it be- 
coming weaker, or is it gaining strength ? 

F. — I have no doubt that the evidence in favor of the authenticity 
of our Scriptures is increasing. And this, if it be true, is certainly 
a very interesting fact. As there is nothing in the Bible to flatter 
the pride of man, or inflate his vanity, or gratify his sensual indul- 
gence, or give him security in a course of sin, but all its demands 
are of a directly opposite tendency, it need not surprise us that, 
with mankind generally, the Bible is a dreaded and a hated book. 
For almost two thousand years, it has been a prime object with 
wicked men, by sneers and reproaches, by exciting suspicions and 
creating doubts, if possible, to get rid of the Bible. And yet, all 
this Avhile it has been spread fearlessly open before the world, invit- 
ing scrutiny, inviting research ; and I but speak the sentiment of 
the best scholars of the age w^hen I say, that the evidences of its 
authenticity, so far from being invalidated, have been constantly 
gaining strength. The more the state, the history, the customs, 
arts, and languages of the ancient world are studied; the more the 
ancient manuscripts, versions, and quotations are examined; the 
more the monuments and inscriptions of remote antiquity are 
brought to light; the more evident it becomes that the several 
books of Scripture have been ascribed to the right authors, and 
that they must have been written in the places, and at the remote 
periods, which have been commonly supposed. Difliculties which 
once embarrassed the subject have been removed, objections have 
been obviated, and the force of the argument in support of the au- 
thenticity of the Scriptures is continually gaining strength. 



CONVERSATION IV. 

IS THE BIBLE TRUE ?— A vital question.— Historically considered.— Its circulation 
among cotemporaries. — Veracity unquestioned. — Character of statements made.— 
Improbability of acceptance if false. — Evidence of profane history. — Propriety of rely- 
ing on apostolic testimony. — Their motives for truth. — Danger of proclaiming it. — 
Persecutions. — The witness of the world in the present day. — Customs, rites and cer- 
emonies. — Their origin. — The Christian's faith. — The infidel's argument. — Belief in 
Scriptural records and authenticity increasing. 

Son. — A vital question in regard to the Bible is that relating to 
its truth. Are its statements reliable ? Can they be shown to be 
true ? Excuse me if I ask for information on this point. 

Father. — We have a strong presumption as to the truth of Scrip- 
ture growing out of the fact last considered, viz, : their authentic- 
ity. Authentic histories, written and published under the same 
circumstances with our Scriptures, may in general be presumed to 
contain the truth ; because, being circulated among cotemporaries 
who are well acquainted with the facts, if the statements are not 
true, they can be easily confuted, and certainly will not be received. 
Moses published among his cotemporaries an account of the deliv- 
erance of the Israelites from Egypt, and of their journeyings, their 
rebellions, and corrections in the wilderness. Would he have dared, 
under these circumstances, to publish statements which were not 
true, and which, he might be sure, thousands of voices would in- 
stantly be raised to contradict ? Or if Moses had had the effront- 
ery to publish falsehoods among his cotemporaries, would they have 
had the stupidity to receive them ? 

So the writers of the Gospels published, among their cotempora- 
ries, friends and enemies, distinct accounts of the doctrines, the 
works, the sufferings, death ' and resurrection of Jesus. Would 
they have published, under such circumstances, Avhat they knew 
was not true ; what every reader would say, at once, was not true ; 
and what their enemies, the Jews, would instantly seize upon and 
turn to the ruin of their cause ? Or if they could have been so 
infatuated as to make such publications, would those around 



40 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

them have been so infatuated as to receive, read, and believe their 
books ? 

Moses often appeals to the senses of those for whom he wrote. 
" Your eyes have seen all the great acts of the Lord which he did " 
(Deut. xi. 7). The writers of the New Testament do the same. 
Now admitting,— what has been proved, — the authenticity of these 
writings, could they possibly have been received, if they had not 
been true ? Would not those, into whose hands the writings first 
came, have known whether their eyes had seen the things de- 
scribed? And if they had not seen them, would they have received 
and believed the books ? 

There is another difficulty in the way of the reception of these 
books on any other supposition than that of their containing incon- 
testable truth. I refer to the character of the statements, the rep- 
resentations, which are there made. These are, many of them, so 
mortifying to human pride, so offensive and humiliating to those 
to whom they were addressed, that they never would have been 
propagated or received, if they had not been known to be true. 
What Israelite would ever have recorded such stories as those of 
Abraham's equivocation, Jacob's intrigue, Judah's incest, Aaron's 
calf, and David's adultery, had he not been constrained to it by the 
know^n fact that these things Avere true ? Or, if any one had been 
mad enough to publish untruths of this nature in the presence of 
cotemporaneous witnesses, w^ould they not have been instantly re- 
jected, and the authors of them been contemned and scorned ? How 
often are the Israelites reproved, reproached, denounced and con- 
demned in different parts of the Old Testament, for their wicked- 
ness ? Now would these same Israelites have received this Old 
Testament, and clung to it even unto death, had they not been 
fully convinced that it was true ? 

S. — Are any of the facts of the sacred history confirmed by the 
testimony of Jews and heathens ? 

F. — Yes, many of them. Josephus, who was a Jew, and a cotem- 
porary with the Apostles, thus speaks of our Savior : " About this 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 41 

time lived Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man, for 
he performed marvelous things. He was an instructor of such as 
received the truth with pleasure. He made many converts both 
among the Jews and Greeks. He was," by profession, " the Christ. 
And when Pilate, on the accusation of the principal men among 
us, condemned him to the cross, those who before entertained a re- 
spect for him continued still to do so ; for he appeared to them alive 
again on the third day ; the divine prophets having declared these 
and many other w^onderful things concerning him. The sect of 
Christians, so named from him", subsists to this very time."* 

S. — Has not this passage from Josephus been disputed? 

F. — It has ; though probably without sufficient reason. But in 
other passages, which have never been disputed, Josephus speaks of 
the character and labors of John the Baptist ; of his being put to 
death by Herod ; of the martyrdom of the Apostle James ; and of 
the miseries which came upon the Jewish nation on this account. 
" These things happened unto them by the way of revenging the 
death of James the Just, the brother of Jesus whom they call 
Christ ; for the Jews slew him, though a very just man."t 

About the year of our Lord QQ., commenced the terrible persecu- 
tion of the Christians at Rome under Nero. This monster of wick- 
edness, having set fire to Rome just for the sake of seeing it burn, 
and wishing to avert the indignation of the people on that account, 
falsely charged the conflagration to the Christians, and commenced 
putting them to death without measure or mercy. Tacitus, a co- 
temporary historian, and a heathen, thus speaks of the Christians : 
"Christ, the founder of this sect, was executed in the reign of Tibe- 
rius, by the procurator, Pontius Pilate. The pernicious superstition, 
repressed for a time, burst forth again, not only in Judea, the 
birth-place of the evil, but at Rome also, where everything atro- 
cious and base centers and is in repute." In this passage, Tacitus 
bears witness to the fact, that Jesus lived in Judea at the very time 



*Aiitiq., Book 18, chap. 3. 

tAntiq., Book 18, chap. 5, and Book 20, chap. 9. 



42 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

stated by the evangelists ; that he Avas put to death under Pontius 
Pilate ; and that, after his death, his followers became exceedingly 
numerous, not only in Judea, but at Rome. Further on in the same 
passage, he speaks of " a vast multitude of Christians " as having 
been cruelly tortured and put to death by Nero. 

About forty years after this, there was a persecution under the 
Emperor Trajan. Pliny was at this time governor of Bythinia ; 
and such multitudes of Christians were brought before him for trial 
and punishment that he knew not what to do with them, and wrote 
to the emperor for advice. His letter is too long to be quoted here ; 
but in it he describes the religion of the Christians, their meetings, 
their sacraments, their mode of worship, and bears testimony to their 
holy and blameless lives. He speaks of having put two Christian 
females to the torture, but "nothing," says he, "could 1 collect 
from them, except a depraved and excessive superstition." Here, 
you see again, is the Christian religion, flourishing in great strength, 
and vast multitudes drawn to the profession of it, at the very com- 
mencement of the second century, or within seventy j^ears after 
the death of Christ. 

It was only about sixty years after this, that Celsus wrote his 
work against Christianity — the first that was ever written of which 
we have any knowledge — in which, as was stated in our last con- 
versation, he admits the authenticity of the Christian Scriptures, 
and most of the facts which they inculcate, and undertakes to re- 
fute the Christians out of their own books. 

S, — Is it proper to rely on the testimony of the Apostles and 
evangelists, as to the truth of the gospel history ? 

F. — Why not ? They certainly were competent and reliable wit- 
nesses, — men living at the time and on the ground, — eye and ear 
witnesses of the things which they relate. So far as we can judge, 
they were men of good moral character ; and so far from having 
any motive of worldly interest to induce them to fabricate a decep- 
tion, and pass it off upon the world, every consideration of interest 
was impelling them the other way. The price of publishing the 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 43 



gospel message was, to them, the loss of all things ; and they had 
every reason to expect beforehand that it would be so. It should 
be further considered that the story of these witnesses, if not true, 
admitted of a ready and easy contradiction. If, for example, Christ 
did not feed thousands of people with a few loaves and fishes ; it 
he did not heal the sick, and raise the dead; if he was not tried, 
condemned, crucified, and buried ; and if he did not rise again the 
third day ; how easy to have effectually refuted these stories, when 
they were first published ! Yet they were not refuted. They 
could not be. So far from this, they received confirmation from 
a thousand sources. And to crown the w^hole, the original wit- 
nesses, in this most important case, lived and acted as though their 
testimony was true. They certainly knew whether it was true, or 
not ; and they proclaimed aloud, and everywhere, — in their future 
lives, in their toils and perils, in their sacrifices and sufferings, and 
under the bloody hand of the executioner, — that it was true. They 
sealed their testimony, in most cases, with their blood. I affirm. 
therefore, and I feel authorized to do so with the utmost confidence, 
that the testimony of the Apostles and evangelists, as to the truth 
of the gospel history, is a valid testimony. It is such as we confide 
in, and act upon, in the most important concerns of life. It is 
sufficient to establish truth, and can never be set aside but by 
adopting principles which would render it impossible to prove any- 
thing by testimony. 

S. — In all our incjuiries, it is pleasant to be able to appeal to 
facts. I would ask, therefore, are there any facts in the world 
around us which involve the truth of parts of the sacred history ? 

F. — Yes, many such. Take, for example, the early and almost 
universal division of time into weeks. There are natural reasons 
why time should be divided into moons or months, and into years. 
But there are no natural reasons why it should be divided into 
weeks of seven days; and no rational account can be given of this 
ancient and almost universal mode of dividing time, if we reject 
that which is given by Moses. 



44 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

It is a fact that numerous languages are spoken in the world •, 
and though most of these are cognate dialects, which originated 
one from another, yet there are some radically and originally differ- 
ent languages. How came these different languages ? How came 
the human race, which is manifestly one race, to be separated and 
sundered one from another in this way ? Moses explains this matter 
to us ; but reject his explanations and who can give us any other ? 

A most singular mode of propitiating and worshiping the Deity 
prevailed all over the ancient world, and still prevails in some parts 
of the earth ; I mean that of bloody sacrifices. The mere light of 
nature and reason would never have led to this mode of worship. 
What natural connection is there between the killing of an inno- 
cent lamb or dove, and the acceptable worship of the Most High ? 
How then are we to account for this early and for long ages uni- 
versal mode of divine worship? The Scriptures enable us to answer 
this question ; but exclude the light which they shed upon it, and 
I defy any person to make out even a plausible answer. 

A most singular rite prevailed among several ancient nations, 
and still prevails not only among the Jews, but in some heathen 
tribes ; I mean that of circumcision. No one can doubt the exist- 
ence of such a rite ; and yet I think any one would be exceedingly 
puzzled to account for its origin, after he had set aside the history 
given of it by Moses. 

I might go on to speak in the same way of the institution of the 
Sabbath, of the ordinances of baptism and the Lord's supper, of the 
existence of the Jews as a distinct people, and of the very existence 
of the Christian religion. These are all facts — plain matters of fact 
existing before our eyes ; and every reflecting, philosophical man 
should be able to give some rational account of them. How came 
one day in seven to be regarded as a sacred day, not only by Jews 
and Christians, but by most of the civilized nations of antiquity ? 
How originated the rites of baptism and the Lord's supper? The 
Jews still exist, a singular, separate, peculiar people. How, when, 
where did they originate ? And who gave them their peculiar 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE, 45 

religious notions and rites ? These Christians, too, — which can be 
proved to have existed, and to have spread themselves over the face 
of the earth for more than eighteen hundred years, — where did 
they come from ? Who was their founder ? Whence did they 
derive the peculiarities of their religion and worship ? These are 
all of them fair questions — questions arising from known and pal- 
pable facts ; and what answers shall be given to them ? With the 
Bible in our hands, it is easy to give satisfactory answers. But 
throw this away, and what answer that shall be so much as plausi- 
ble can possibly be framed ? 

S. — Are not several of these Jewish and Christian institutions of 
a commemorative character? 

F. — Yes, and this makes the argument the stronger. For in- 
stance, the Passover was instituted to commemorate the deliverance 
of the Israelites from Egypt. Now it is certain that no impostor 
of a later generation could have imposed this institution on the 
Israelites. Nor would they have received it at the hand of Moses, 
if the facts which it commemorated had never taken place. The 
same may be said of the feast of Pentecost, designed to commemo- 
rate the giving of the law ; of the feast of Tabernacles, commemora- 
tive of the Israelites' dwelling in tents ; of the feast of Purim, which 
commemorated their deliverance from Haman ; and of the Lord's 
supper, which now commemorates the death of Christ. How could 
this ordinance of the supper ever have been instituted, received 
and observed, if that event had not taken place which it was de- 
signed to commemorate, — in other words, if Christ had not suffered 
and died according to the Scriptures ? We have an annual festival 
on the fourth of July, to commemorate the declaration of American 
independence. Does any one suppose that this festival Avould ever 
have been got up, and brought into general notice and observance, 
if American independence had never been declared ? No more 
could any of the commemorative institutions of the Bible have been 
got up and established, if the events commemorated by them had 
not occurred. 



46 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

jS. — Can any argument be drawn, on the question before us, from 
the religious feelings and exercises of Christians^ 

F. — Yes ; an argument reaching not only to the facts of revela- 
tion, but to its doctrines — an argument of more weight with sincere, 
unlettered Christians than any other. Such an one may not have 
read books on the evidences of Christianity. He may not have 
acquainted himself with the historical arguments in its favor at all. 
Still he has no doubts as to the truth of the Bible ; and when you 
inquire as to the grounds of his confidence, he will say : " I know 
the Bible to be true, because I feel it to be true. I am sure of the 
truth of it, because it accords so exactly with my own experience." 
For example, the Scriptures represent the natural heart of man as 
corrupt and sinful. The Christian knows from his own experience 
that this is true. The Scriptures speak of a great moral change as 
necessary in order to the possession of true religion. The Christian 
feels and hopes that he has experienced this change. The Script- 
ures represent the Christian life on earth as one of conflict and 
warfare, — " the flesh lusting against the spirit, and the spirit 
against the flesh." The Christian is conscious of this warfare in 
his own soul. The Scriptures describe, in various ways, the pecul- 
iar views and exercises of those who have been born of God. The 
Christian perceives that these answer to his own. And thus, as 
our Savior expresses it, '' he has the witness in himself." He can- 
not doubt the truth of the Bible. When such an one says, "I 
know the Bible to be true, because I feel it to be true," he urges a 
sound argument. He reasons logically and well. 

aS^. — And yet would such an argument be likely to satisfy the 
inlidel ? 

F. — Perhaps-not. Still, I see not why it should not satisfy him. 
For what has he to urge against it ? He can only say to the Chris- 
tian, "My feelings are not like yours. I have no such experience." 
Alas ! my friend, we know you have not. The Bible itself asserts 
that you have not ; so that in what you say you rather verify than 
contradict the representations of Scripture. But what does your 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 47 



lack of Christian experience prove ? Does it prove that the experi- 
ence of Christians, and the conscious agreement of their experience 
with the representations of Scripture, is not a reality ? By no 
means. As well might the blind man deny the existence of light, 
because he does not see it, or the deaf mute that there is any such 
thing as sound, be cause he does not hear it, as you deny the reality 
of Christian experience because you have never felt it — have never 
"tasted and seen that the Lord is good." Your Christian neighbor 
is an intelligent, moral, credible man. You believe him to be a 
pious man. He tells you that his own feelings, his experience, ac- 
cords so entirely Avith the representations of Scripture, that he 
knows the latter must be true. Now why will you not believe 
him ? You woidd take his word on any other subject ; why not on 
this? 

aS'. — In our last conversation, you spoke of the constantly increas- 
ing evidence in favor of the authenticity of our sacred writings. 
Can the same fact be urged in support of their truth ? 

F. — Yes, it may well be said of the arguments for the truth of 
Scripture, that they are constantly increasing both in numbers and 
in strength. It has been remarked, that no system ever laid itself 
more completely open to detection, if it contained errors, than 
Christianity. " No book ever gave so many clues to discovery, if it 
tell untruths, as the sacred volume." And yet its leaves were 
thrown fearlessly open, from two to three thousand years ago, to 
the investigation of philosophers and critics, to the scrutiny of 
friends and foes. Its leaves have lain unfolded from that time to 
the present, inviting discussion, inviting research, saying virtually, 
like its great Author, " Testify against me, if you can." And it 
has passed the ordeal. It has stood the test. Its evidences, so far 
from being weakened through the lapse of time, are continually 
gaining strength. The researches of the antiquary, the investiga- 
tions of modern science, the accidental discoveries which from time 
to time are made, the unceasing inquiries of restless, inquisitive 
man, instead of fulfilling the predictions of the infidel, and refuting 



48 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

the evidence for the truth of Scripture, all tend, manifestly, to con- 
firm and establish it. Passages of Scripture once dark have been 
brought into light ; former objections have been obviated ; seeming 
discrepancies have been reconciled. What were regarded as diffi- 
culties two hundred years ago, are found such no longer. The 
very efforts of infidels have been made to recoil upon their own 
heads. They have been over-ruled for the establishment and ad- 
vancement of the gospel. In proof of these statements, I need only 
refer to the recent confirmations of Scripture found in the mounds 
of Assyria, the catacombs of Egypt, and in the discoveries of inves- 
tigators in the Holy Land. In short, the time has come when, if 
Christians have had any fears as to the truth of their religion, they 
should indulge them no longer. They may rest perfectly assured 
that they are without foundation. Christianity may yet be as- 
sailed; but it will come out of every new trial, as it has out of 
every previous one, strengthened in its evidences, and not weak- 
ened ; victorious, and not vanquished. 



CONYEKSATION Y. 

ARE THE SCRIPTURES FROM GOD ?— Bible assertions.— Miracles.— Nature of 
miracles. — Uuknown natural laws. — Special need of miracles. — Their intent and pur- 
pose. — Divine authority supported by prophecy. — The value of the authority. — The 
nature of prophecy. — Conjecture versus prophecy. — Bible said to have all been written 
since the events transpired. — Evidence against such a statement. — Internal proofs of 
inspiration. — The Bible God's book. 

Son. — I am aware, if the Bible is true, that it must be from God ; 
for it directly asserts as much as this. Moses went to Pharaoh, and 
went to the Israelites, not in his own name, but in the name of 
God. He prefaced all his messages with a Thus saith the Lord, 
The same did the inspired prophets. The same did the Apostles. 
The same did our Savior himself. " The words which I speak unto 
you are not mine, but his that sent meT If the Bible is true, then 
these and a thousand other like assertions are true. They are as 
true as any other part of the Bible. Still, I should like to discuss 
the Divine authority of Scripture with you in a more general way, 
and to hear from you other arguments. 

Father. — Let us proceed then, at once, to the subject of miracles. 
A miracle is something more than a strange thing, or to us an un- 
accountable thing. It is not certain that an event is miraculous, 
because it is not in accordance with any law of nature with which 
we are acquainted. There may be natural laws of which, at pres- 
ent, we have no knowledge, with some one or more of which the 
seeming miracle may be at an agreement. But suppose we see 
some known law of nature supervened, and an event taking place in 
direct contradiction to it. It is not merely above and beyond what 
we know of nature, but in direct contravention of what we know. 
Such an event is a proper miracle, known to be such ; and from the 
nature of the case, it is, and must be, from God. It involves a di- 
rect intervention of that Omnipotence by which the laws of nature 
were established, and which alone is able to suspend them. 

S. — But are we sufficientb/ acquainted with nature's laws to 



50 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

know when they are supervened, and thus to decide, in regard to a 
given event, whether it be a miracle or not ? 

F. — To this I reply that, with all our short-sightedness and igno- 
rance, we do know something in regard to the powers and laws of 
nature. We have, or may have, not presumption or conjecture, 
but knowledge here ; else all philosophy is delusive, and every at- 
tempt at philosophical inquiry must be fruitless. But if we may 
know, to some extent, what the laws of nature are, then we may 
know when they are suspended or contravened, and may be able to 
distinguish a proper miracle from every other kind of event. 

Now the Bible contains accounts of many such miracles — real 
miracles — known to be such — extending through a long succession 
of years, from the time of Moses to the end of the Apostolic 
age. And these accounts are true, if the Bible is true. There 
can be no doubt about them, unless we reject the truth of the sacred 
word. 

S. — But if the miracles of Scripture actually occurred, — as we 
must suppose they did, unless we reject the Bible, — then why did 
they occur ? What was the leading object or intent to them ? 

E. — The more immediate ends to be answered by miracles may 
have been various. Not a few of them were performed out of com- 
passion for the sick, the afflicted, the distressed. Others were in- 
flicted in righteous judgment upon the wicked. Others still were 
intended for the trial of those more immediately concerned. They 
were resorted to as a means of forming and developing character. 
But all these were no more than subordinate purposes : they were 
not the grand leading object in view. This must have been some- 
thing vastly higher, and of more general interest to the world. 

The great end of miracles, obviously, was to attest the Divine mis- 
sion of those who performed them^ and the Divine authority of the 
messages which they were sent to deliver. In frequent instances, this 
object is brought out prominently in the record ; in others, it evi- 
dently lies at the foundation, and constitutes the leading, prompt- 
ing motive for the exertion of miraculous power. Thus when 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 51 

Moses went with a message from God to Pharaoh, he demanded, as 
we might have presumed he would, " Who is the Lord that I should 
obey his voice ? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go." 
And now God proceeds, by a series of stupendous but crushing 
miracles, to shew Pharaoh who he is, and to convince him that, in 
the presence of the God of Israel, he is himself but a worm. By 
these repeated miracles, God attested the Divine commission of 
Moses and Aaron, sanctioned their messages as coming from him- 
self, and at length constrained the unwilling monarch to yield to 
the demands, which, at first, he had so proudly resisted. So when 
the murmuring Israelites in the desert called in question (as they 
often did) the Divine commission of their appointed leaders, and 
the Divine authority of their communications, miracles were in- 
stantly wrought to attest and sanction both. The dry rock is 
smitten, and the water gushes out. Aaron's rod flourisheth, while 
the others are dried up. The earth opens under the feet of the 
rebels, and they go down alive into the pit. In the days of Elijah, 
the people were halting between two opinions, not knowing whom 
to recognize as true prophets, or whether to worship God or Baal ; 
and to satisfy them, a notable miracle is wrought. Fire comes 
down visibly from heaven, consumes the sacrifice and the wood, 
and licks up the very water in the surrounding trenches. 

And not to multiply instances from the Old Testament, our Sav- 
ior continually appealed to his miracles in proof of his Messiahship, 
and in attestation of the Divine authority of his words. "The 
works which my Father hath given me to do, the same bear witness 
of me that the Father hath sent me." " If I do not the works of 
my Father, believe me not ; but if I do, though you believe not me, 
believe the works^ that ye may know that the Father is in me, and I 
in him." The grand object of the Apostles' miracles was precisely 
the same. " They went forth and preached everywhere, the Lord 
working with them, and confirming the word by signs following.''^ 
When the apostleship of Paul was called in question, in vindica- 
tion of it he appealed at once to his miracles, " Truly the signs of 



52 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

an Apostle were wrought among you, in all patience, in signs^ and 
wonders^and mighty deeds'^ 

In short, there can be no doubt as to the leading design and ob- 
ject of the miracles ofthe Bible. They were designed, as I said, to 
attest the Divine mission of the inspired teachers, and the Divine 
authority of their communications, and thus to establish the faith, 
not only of those who heard them, but of all who should become 
acquainted with their words and works. 

S. — You regard, then, the argument from miracles as a sound 
one, in support of the Divine authority of our sacred books ? 

F. — I do ; and so must every consistent foUoAver of Christ. It is 
certain that he often employed this argument, and urged it home 
upon the consciences of his hearers. Hence we cannot call in ques- 
tion the soundness of it, without impeaching the character of our 
Lord. 

S. — The argument from prophecy is continually urged in support 
of the Divine authority of our Scriptures. Do you regard this 
argument also as a sound one ? 

F. — I do. To look into the remote future, and disclose distant, 
contingent events, — those depending, not upon the ascertained laws 
and processes of nature, but upon the free actions of men, — this is 
the prerogative of God alone. No other being in the universe can 
do it. In the fifth chapter of the Revelation, a vast map of the 
future is exhibited, under the symbol of a sealed roll or book ; and 
" No creature in heaven nor in earth, neither under the earth, was 
able to open the book, neither to look thereon." We are here 
taught that, to all created minds, the whole contingent future is a 
sealed book. And a sealed book it must remain, except so far as 
God is pleased to unseal and open it. We conclude, therefore, 
that every proper prediction is a revelation from God. From the 
nature of the case, it must be so. Creatures may presume, may 
conjecture, may make calculations ; but God alone can with cer- 
tainty predict. The calculations of creatures often disappoint 
them ; but God's predictions never. They are sure to go into effect, 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE, 53 

and in the precise way and manner which he has indicated. The 
only question then is, does the Bible contain real predictions? 
And what fair-minded reader of the Bible can entertain a doubt on 
this point ? Here is a continued series of predictions, reaching 
from Genesis to the Revelation, many of which have been most 
remarkably fulfilled, — so remarkably, in some instances, as to con- 
strain the unbeliever, — in opposition to all historical evidence, — to 
affirm that the alleged predictions must have been written subse- 
quent to the events foretold ; that is, to be history, and not proph- 
ecy. Witness the predictions of Isaiah, as to the capture of Babylon, 
and the return of the Jews ; and Daniel's vision of the four beasts ; 
and our Savior's prediction of the destruction of Jerusalem ; and the 
declarations of all the prophets, as to the present scattered and 
separate condition of the Jewish people. But if the Bible contains 
real predictions, then certainly it is, thus far, a revelation from 
God. 

S. — What have you to say of the internal evidences of the Divine 
authorship of the Bible — those drawn from the book itself ? 

F.- — These are numerous and highly important, — such as the 
nature and excellence of its doctrines ; the purity and elevation of 
its moral code ; its inexhaustible fullness , the harmony of its sev- 
eral parts ; and its exact adaptation to our faiien condition and 
wants ; — all conspiring to set it before us as the book of God. Un- 
aided men could no more have written the Bible than they could 
have created the world. Its doctrines surpass all human foresight 
and wisdom. Its aims transcend all human thought. The charac- 
ter of Christ, as exhibited in the Bible, is such as no mere man 
ever formed or conceived ; such as no pen but that of inspiration 
could have sketched. Then there is a power attending the promul- 
gation of religious truths, and the good effects which they have 
produced, and are still producing in the world. The Scriptures 
alone have proved themselves to be " quick and powerful, sharper 
than a two-edged sword ; mighty, through God, to the pulling 
down of strongholds;" and " able to make man wise unto salvation." 



54 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

I urge but another argument in favor of the Divine authority of 
the Bible, — the same which was urged in support of its truth, — 
that which the Christian finds in his own soul. " If any man," 
saith Christ, "will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, 
wJietJier it he of Crod.'' True Christians have fulfilled the condition 
here proposed, and they realize the truth of the promise. They do 
know of the doctrine that it is of Grod. They find such a blessed 
agreement between the representations of Scripture, and the feel- 
ings of their own hearts, that they cannot doubt as to the Divine 
origin of the Bible. It must have proceeded from that Being, who 
perfectly knows the hearts of his own children, and has so accu- 
rately set them forth in the pages of his word. 

If the Bible is God's book, my children, coming to us in his name 
and by his authority, then it deserves our most serious and reverent 
attention. Who would not listen, were God to speak to him in an 
audible voice from the heavens ? Yet God is as really speaking to 
us in his word, as though he addressed us in a voice of thunder 
from the skies. The Apostle Peter once heard the Holy One 
speaking to him from the skies ; but he says, " Ye have a more sure 
word of prophecy " than this. Yes, a more sure word of prophecy. 
Let us then give diligent heed to this sure word of prophecy, as to 
a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day- 
star arise in our hearts. 



CONYERSATIOISr YL 

THE SCRIPTURES INSPIRED AND INFALLIBLE.— Difference between revelation 
and inspiration. — An infallible record. — Passages in the Bible not true. — Such explained. 
— Man's instrumentality. — The work of God. — Proof of the inspiration of the Bible. — 
The promise of inspiration from God. — Many of them. — Inspiration acknowledged by 
the writers. — Proclaimed by Christ. — Doctrine of the early fathers. — Objections. — Dif- 
ference in style and method. — Original manuscript lost. — Indelicacies of the Bible. — 
Contradictious. — Improper quotations of New Testament writers. — Paul's disclaim to 
Revelation. — Doctrine of inspiration of great importance. 

Son. — 111 our last conversation we satisfied ourselves that God 
has revealed himself to us in his word, and, of course, that his word 
is of Divine authority. Does this include what is commonly called 
the inspiration of the Scriptures ; or is that a distinct and separate 
subject ? 

Father. — The inspiration of the Scriptures is a separate subject, 
having respect to the promulgation of God's revealed truth., whether 
by the living voice, or the written word. We have seen that God 
has made supernatural revelations of his truth and will to mankind, 
and that these revelations are in the Bible. The Scriptures are a 
record of them. The question now arises, is this a merely human 
record, in the main faithful, but, like everything else human, falli- 
ble and imperfect ? Or is it a Divinely inspired and infallihle rec- 
ord? Were the sacred writers left to their own unaided wisdom 
in accomplishing their work; or were they so inspired and assisted 
as to be secured from all mistakes and errors ; being led to write 
just what the Divine Spirit would have them write, and in just the 
manner in which he would have them write it ? 

S. — You make a distinction, then, between revelation and inspi- 
ration. 

F. — I do ; and the subject before us has been embarrassed often, 
by not marking this distinction. Revelation is the direct imparta- 
tion of God's truth to the mind of the prophet. Inspiration de- 
notes the assistance afforded in the utterance of God's truth, or in 
recording what God chose to have committed to the sacred page. 



56 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. ^ 

All Scripture is not Divine revelation ; but all Scripture is written 
under a Divine inspiration, and consequently is an infallible record 
of what God chose to have written for our " instruction in right- 
eousness." There are passages in the Bible which are not true, in 
any sense ; and of course are not revealed truth. Such were the 
speech of the serpent to our first mother ; and the message of Rab- 
shekah to the Jews in the days of Hezekiah ; and the spiteful letter 
of Sanballat to Nehemiah ; and the false reasonings and reproaches 
of Job's three friends. Yet all these, and the like Scriptures, may 
have been written under a Divine inspiration. We have a true 
and inspired account of things said and done, however false they 
may be in themselves. 

S. — It follows from these statements, that the Scriptures are the 
work both of men, and of God ; — of men in the exercise of their 
own faculties, who are yet so supervised, assisted and directed of 
God, as to be able to record infallibly his truth and will. Is such 
a union of the Divine agency and the human in this work of inspi- 
ration possible ? 

F. — We have proof of its possibility, and also of its credibility, 
in that it conforms so entirely to God's usual method of operating 
in other things. It is in God that " we live, move, and have our 
being ; " yet in giving us life, breath, and being, God interrupts not 
the regular exercise of our own natural powers, but rather sustains 
them. The conversion and sanctification of the soul, too, is the 
work of God ; yet, in this work, there is no interference with the 
normal activities of him who is the subject of it. And so in the 
matter of inspiration, God supervises, assists, restrains, suggests, 
and does all that is necessary that the utterance of the record may 
be in accordance with his will ; and yet the subject of it thinks his 
own thoughts, exercises his own faculties, and speaks or writes 
much after his own natural method. 

S. — But what proof have we of the inspiration of the Bible, in 
the sense explained ? 

F. — In the first place, this is a reasonable supposition. If God 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 57 

were to be at the expense of making a revelation, he would not be 
likely to leave it to human imjDerfection and weakness to make a 
record of it. We might reasonably anticipate that he would so in- 
spire and assist his servants that they should publish his truth in a 
manner agreeable to his will. 

From the very nature of the case, a considerable part of the Bible 
must be inspired ; else it is palpable imposture. Frequently, in the 
Old Testament, we have God himself speaking, in the first person. 
We have what purports to be his own words. And if the Bible is 
true, they are his own words. And the sacred writers must have 
been verbally inspired in recording them. So in the New Testa- 
ment, we have, through whole chapters, what purports to be the 
very words of Christ. Now the writers may have been perfectly 
honest, but their memories were treacherous ; and hoAv could they 
be sure after a lapse of years, that they were giving the real words 
of Christ, unless they were assisted from above ? Hence the value 
of that promise which was given to the disciples, " The Comforter, 
whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all 
things, and bring all things to your remembrance^ whatsoever I have 
spoken unto you" (John xiv. 26). 

There are also other portions of the Bible which, if they are true, 
must be inspired. I refer to those parts in which the writer records 
transactions which took place long ages before he was born. For 
example ; how did Moses know what God said to Adam, and Cain, 
and Noah, and Abraham, and what these men said in reply, unless 
he had Divine inspiration ? He might have received some general 
account of things by tradition ; but he does not profess to record 
doubtful traditions, but the very words which were spoken one way 
and the other. 

^S'. — Had the sacred writers 2i promise of inspiration in giving utter- 
ance to God's truth. 

F- — Yes, there are many such promises. Here was one to Moses. 
" Now therefore go, and I will be ivith thy mouth, and / will teach 
thee what thou shalt say'' (Ex. iv. 12). The Apostles had such 



58 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

promises oft repeated. " I will give you a mouth and wisdom which 
no adversary can gainsay or resist." " When he, the Spirit of truth, 
is come, he shall guide you into all truth.'''' " When they shall 
deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak ; for it 
shall he given you in that hour what ye shall speak ; for it is not ye 
that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you^ 
There is no mistaking the import of language such as this. We 
have here promise upon promise, that the servants of Christ, in giv- 
ing utterance to his truth, should be directed by an influence from 
on high. 

aS'. — Do the sacred writers ever assert their oivn inspiration f 

F. — Yes, and not only so, but the inspiration one of another. 
David says of himself, " The Spirit of the Lord spake hy me, and his 
word ivas in my tongue''' (2 Sam. xxiii. 2). "I certify you," says 
Paul, "that the gospel which was preached of me was not after 
man ; for I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it but 
hy the revelation of Jesus Christ'' " Which things we speak, not in 
words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teach- 
ethy " The things which I write unto you are the commandments 
of the Lord'' 

The sacred writers not only assert, as in these passages, their own 
inspiration but the inspiration of the Scriptures generally. Paul 
calls the Scriptures of the Old Testament " the oracles of G-od " 
(Rom. iii. 2). This is a peculiarly strong expression. Among the 
heathen, the oracle was the place where the voice of the god was 
heard — where his responses were sounded forth. Yet the Scriptures 
are " the oracles of God." 

Our Savior constantly speaks of the Scriptures as the ivord of 
God, and inspired. " The Holy Ghost spake by the mouth of David." 
" Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet." " The word of 
God cannot be broken." " Making the word of God of none effect 
by your traditions." 

Paul testifies on the point before us as follows : " All Scripture is 
given hy inspiration of God." '' The prophecy came not, in old 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 59 

time, by the will of man, but Holy men of God spake as they were 
moved by the Holy Ghost."" " God^ who, at sundry times and in 
divers manners, spake in time past hy the prophets., hath, in these 
latter days, spoken unto us hy his Son.'' Nothing can be more 
decisive than this testimony. If language such as this does not 
prove the inspiration of the Bible, no language can. 

S. — How was this doctrine held by the early Fathers — the imme- 
diate successors of the Apostles ? 

F. — Clement of Rome, in his first Epistle to the Corinthians, 
says : '' Give diligent heed to the Scrij)tures, the true sayings of the 
Holy Ghost'' (Chap. xlv). Justin Martyr says: "I think not that 
the words which you hear the prophet speaking are uttered by him- 
self. Being fiiled with the Spirit, they are from the Divine Logos 
which moves him" (Apology i., p. 336). 

"The sacred books," says Origen, '•'•breathe the fidlness of the 
Spirit. There is nothing, either in the law, in the gospels, or in the 
Apostles, which did not descend from the fullness of the Divine 
Majesty" (Works, vol. iii., p. 282). 

" It is needless to inquire," says Gregory the Great, " who wrote 
the book of Job, since we may surely believe that the Holy Ghost 
was its author " (Works, vol. i., p. 7). 

" What avails it," says Theodoret, " to inquire whether all the 
Psalms were written by David ; it being plain that all were composed 
under the influence of the Holy Spirit" (Works, vol. i., p. 395). 

It is needless to quote further from the early Christian fathers. 
They were unanimous on the subject of inspiration, and took high 
ground in regard to it. They commonly speak of the Scriptures as 
'' the law of God," " the word of God," '' the voice of God," " the 
oracles of heaven," "the oracles of the Holy Ghost." Indeed, the 
full inspiration of the Scriptures has been the doctrine of the church, 
in all periods of its history. In the Jewish church, before the com- 
ing of Christ, and in the Christian church, from the beginning to 
the present time, the full inspiration of our sacred books has been 
received and held as a doctrine of essential importance. 



60 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

S. — I am glad to be instructed in regard to this important doc- 
trine, and to hear such convincing proofs of it. You are aware that 
it is much disputed in our times, and that many objections are urged 
against it. Will you allow me to call your attention to some of 
these objections ? It is objected, you know, to the idea of inspira- 
tion, that there are great differences of style in the books of the 
Bible, each individual seeming to write and speak in his own 
peculiar, natural way. 

F. — And so, on the theory of inspiration which we adopt, we 
might expect it would be. If, as some have supposed, the sacred 
writers, while under the Spirit's influence, had been deprived of the 
regular exercise of their own powers, so as to be mere passive instru- 
ments in the hands of God, there would be some reason for connect- 
ing the idea of inspiration with great uniformity in regard to style ; 
but if, as we hold, they were left to the natural exercise of their 
own powers, while they were instructed, guided, superintended by 
the Spirit, and led by him to write that, and only that, which was 
agreeable to his will, then the differences of style which appear in 
their writings are no objection to the idea of their inspiration. 
They are just what might reasonably be expected. 

That these differences of style are consistent with even a verbal 
inspiration is evident from the Scriptures themselves. In many 
parts of Scripture, as before remarked, we find God speaking in his 
own person. Whole chapters of this nature occur not unfrequently 
in the prophets. Yet in these chapters we find the same differences 
of style as in other parts of the Bible. God, speaking in his own per- 
son by the mouth of Hosea or Amos, adopts the style of these men ; 
but when speaking by the mouth of Isaiah or Joel, he adopts the 
higher and more poetical diction of these prophets. 

S. — It is said by some, that this whole question of inspiration 
amounts to nothing, since we have naught in our hands, at present, 
but transcripts and translations ; the original copies, which alone 
were inspired, having long been lost. 

F. — But we do think it of great importance to have had an 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 61 

inspired and infallible original. From such an original, all the 
existing copies and versions came ; and though we have not the 
autographs with which to compare them, still we can compare them 
one with another ; we can judge of differences where they exist ; 
we can judge wherein they differ, if at all, from the original copies ; 
and can thus approximate, at least, to the true standard. The orig- 
inal copies of the ancient classics have all passed away ; yet we like 
to know that there were such copies, and by careful revision, com- 
parison, and criticism, we can measurably restore them. A copy of 
the Scriptures, or a version, is a proper subject of criticism. We 
may properly inquire, not whether the original writers made mis- 
takes, but whether mistakes have not occurred since ; whether the 
copy or the version conforms to the original. Thus far may human 
criticism lawfully go in this direction ; but no farther. If it may 
transcend this limit ; if it may go to the original itself, or to what 
is decided, on sufficient grounds, to have been the original; then 
we have no standard left. The criticism of prophets and apostles, 
the sitting in judgment upon those who preached and wrote by 
inspiration, is a new science, " upon which," as one has well said, 
" we do not care to venture, and the results of which we should dis- 
trust and dread." 

aS'. — It is said that there are indelicacies in the Bible, which forbid 
the idea that it is all inspired. 

F. — But are we fully competent to judge in a matter like this ? 
Shall we set ourselves up as the standard of delicacy for all ages, 
and all people? In regard to this matter, like most others, the 
notions of people vary in different places, and at different times. 
What would be sufficiently delicate to an Oriental now, and 
would have been so regarded by our own fathers and mothers two 
hundred years ago, may strike us differently. Besides, words and 
phrases often become indelicate as they become common, and there 
is a necessity for changing them for others in less common use. 
But here is a book in which the Avords and phrases, as they stand 
in the original, must not be changed. They must stand the same 



62 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

everywhere, and in all periods of time. This, doubtless, is a princi- 
pal reason why some feAV of the words of Scripture, to a modern 
ear, may seem indelicate. 

aS'. — It is still further objected that there are contradictions in the 
Bible. What will you say in regard to these ? 

F. — That there are a few seeming inconsistencies, — passages 
which, with our means of knowledge, we may not be able fully to 
harmonize, — need not be denied. But that there were any real 
contradictions in the original Scriptures, as they came from God, is 
what no believer in Divine inspiration can admit, and no denier of 
it can prove. I speak advisedly on this subject, having had occa- 
sion to examine critically most, if not all, the cases which have 
been alleged. Some are the result, obviously, of mistakes in tran- 
scribing, translating, or interpreting ; while others arise from our 
ignorance of attendant circumstances, and might at once be har- 
monized, if these were fully known. 

aS'. — It has been objected to the inspiration of the New Testament, 
that its writers sometimes quote from the Old Testament incor- 
rectly, and apply their quotations improperly. 

F. — The Apostles and evangelists do not always quote with 
strict verbal accuracy, nor do they pretend to ; but we see not how 
this can be urged against either their inspiration or their truth. 
How often do we thus quote from the Scriptures, and from other 
books, without any impeachment of our veracity ? Nor is it certain 
that the writers of the Ncav Testament always apply the language 
quoted from the Old according to its original intent and accepta- 
tion. In a few instances, they seem to adopt this language, as a 
phraseology familiar to them, in which to express their own 
thoughts ; just as the classical scholar sometimes incorporates a 
passage from a favorite author, without stopping to inquire whether 
his application of it is precisely according to its original intent. It 
is to his purpose, he takes it, and passes on. To the Apostles and 
evangelists, the Old Testament was almost their only classic. Its 
language was dear and familiar to them. They were literally men 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 63 

of one book. And from this loved book, they, in a few instances, 
take a passage or a clause, because it is apposite or illustrative, 
without pretending to appl}' it just as it was applied by the original 
writer ; and we see nothing in this which is at all inconsistent with 
their good character or their inspiration. 

S. — It is objected finally, that Paul, in some instances, expressly 
disclaims a Divine inspiration. " To the rest speak I, not the Lord ; 
if any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to 
dwell with him, let him not put her away." " Concerning virgins, 
/ have no commandment of the Lord ; yet I give my judgment, as 
one that hath obtained mercy" (1 Cor. Adi. 12, 25). 

F. — In these passages, Paul obviously disclaims something. But 
what is it ? Not, as it seems to me. Divine inspiration, but his hav- 
ing any express Divine command to he enjoined. He was not inspired 
to lay positive injunctions upon the Corinthians in these matters, 
but rather to give his judgment., his advice. " Herein I give my 
advice^'' etc. He also tells us that he " thinks he has the Spirit " 
(1 Cor. vii. 40). And if Paul thought that he had the Spirit, who 
shall say or think that he had it not ? 

>S'. — This doctrine of inspiration, which you have been so careful 
to explain and vindicate, is clearly a doctrine of great importance. 

F. — It is so indeed. If the Bible is not inspired, in the sense 
explained, then it is not an infallible standard of truth and duty, 
and nothing can be certainly known or established by it. The 
Bible has been well denominated " a code of laws."" But in all 
authoritative communications or laws, it is important that we have 
the precise words of the law giver. So it is with human laws. 
The judge on the bench must have before him the precise Avords of 
the law, or he cannot interpret them. The people, too, must have 
the law correctly before them, or they cannot tell what it requires. 
Suppose one of our legislatures should undertake to frame a code 
of laws, but instead of writing them down themselves, or causing 
them to be written under their own inspection, should leave it to 
the reporters in different parts of the house, to take down the sub- 



64 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

stance, or so much of them as they could recollect, and publish 
them in the newspapers. The reporters might be honest and capa- 
ble men ; and yet who could regard their notes as laws ? In mat- 
ters such as these, I repeat, we want the matured words of the 
law-giver. And just so in respect to the Bible. The Bible pur- 
ports to be a code of laws, coming down to us from the great Law- 
giver of the universe, and binding directly on our consciences and 
hearts. But in order that it may be duly authenticated — may be a 
rule of life to us here, and of judgment hereafter, we must have the 
very words of Crod. A merely human record of his truth and will 
cannot bind us. We must have a Bible, the whole of which is 
given by the inspiration of God, or we have no standard by which 
to walk, or on which to rely. 



CONVERSATION YII. 

THE CREATION. — A veritable history or a myth. — Self-evident testimony. — Other evi- 
dence. — Creation of the world explained. — Swedenborg and Pantheism. — Time. — Geol- 
ogy and the Bible narrative. — In the beginning. — Formation of mountains. — Terrible 
revolutions. — Cause of the darkness. — First chapter of Genesis explained. — The sun, 
moon and stars. — Institution of the Sabbath. — Length of days. — Prehistoric man. — The 
Mosaic narrative descriptive of the earth before the flood. 

Son. — We have had several conversations on topics directly per- 
taining to the Bible ; we come now to its contents. The first fact 
which meets us on the pages of the Bible is the creation of the world. 
This, with the connected events, occupies some of the first chapters 
of Genesis. And I wish to inquire, first of all, whether you regard 
this as veritable history ; or is it (as soj;ne insist) no more than an 
instructive parable ? 

Father. — I regard it as veritable history, and a most important 
item in the world's history. The account in Genesis has all the 
marks of veritable history, and would be sufficient to establish the 
fact of the creation even if it stood alone — if it was not sustained 
by other evidence. But it is sustained by a vast amount of other 
evidence, both in the Bible and out of it. It is sustained by the 
genealogies of Scripture, in both the Old Testament and the New. 
There is a long genealogy in the first book of Chronicles, commenc- 
ing with Adam, and running down, in various channels, to the 
time of the captivity. Then there is the genealogy of our Savior, 
in the third chapter of Luke, running back from Jesus, the reputed 
son of Joseph, to Adam, " who was the son of God." 

Nor is this all. We find frequent notices of Adam, as the pro- 
genitor of our race, in other parts of the Bible ; and on this fact are 
grounded some of the essential doctrines of the gospel. "As by the 
offense of one (Adam) judgment came upon all men to condemna- 
tion, even so by the righteousness of one (Christ) the free gift came 
upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man's disobe- 
dience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall 

6 



66 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

many be made righteous " (Rom. v. 18, 19). "Since by man came 
death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in 
Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive " (1 Cor. xv. 
21, 22). You see from these passages, that the history of Adam 
and of the creation stands connected with much Bible truth, and 
must stand as long as the Gospel. 

S. — Please explain to me now what you understand by the crea- 
tion of the world. 

F. — By the creation of the world I understand something more 
than the making of one thing from another. With the appropriate 
materials, ive can make many things. And, by most of the ancient 
heathen philosophers, creation was supposed to be nothing more, 
in kind, than this. But it is obvious that a world thus made 
would not be a proper creation. It would be rather s. fabrication. 

S. — What will you say of the doctrine of Swedenborg, and of 
Pantheists generally, that the world is from the very substance of 
God. 

F. — I say that such a doctrine has no foundation either in reason 
or Scripture, but is refated by both. If the world and all things it 
contains are from the substance of God, then they are independent 
and indestructible like God, — which we have no reason to suppose is 
true. They are also parts of God ; and this involves the absurdity 
that the infinite God is divisible into parts. It involves also the 
mutability, the changeableness of God. For certainly there are con- 
tinual changes going on in the world around u^; and if the world 
and all its contents are of the substance of God, then there are con- 
tinual changes in his substance. In short, the doctrine before us is 
but saying that everything is God, and God everything, which is 
Pantheism, Atheism. It is denying the existence of a personal God, 
who made the world and governs it ; and this is to deny that there 
is, properly speaking, any God at all. 

S. — Both these negative statements as to creation I admit ; but 
you have not yet told us positively what creation is — what you 
understand by it. 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 67 

F. — Let me say then, in a word, that by creation I understand 
the making of all created things from nothing. God made them all, 
not out of liimself, or from eternal, elemental, chaotic matter, but 
from nothing. He brought them into heing. He gave them exut- 
ence, when before they had none. This is what we understand by 
the work of creation. This is the proper signification of the origi- 
nal word translated create, in the first verse of the Bible. The 
Apostle Paul gives us the same idea, in the eleventh chapter of the 
Epistle to the Hebrews. " Through faith we understand that the 
worlds were framed by the word of God ; so that the things which 
are seen were not made of things which do appear," or of things 
already existing., which is the same as to say they were made from 
nothing. The Jews seem to have held this idea of creation in all 
periods of their history. Thus it is said in the Maccabees, " Look 
upon the heaven, and the earth, and all that is therein, and consider 
that God made them of things which are not'' (2 Mace, vii, 28). 
Philo also says, " The things that were not, God called into being.'' 

S. — But if this world was created from nothing, it Avas created in 
time ; and it is insisted that the date of its creation, as fixed in the 
first chapters of the Bible, — ^less than six thousand years ago, — can 
never be made to harmonize with the facts of geological science. 

F. — It is assumed by those who urge this objection, that the 
Scriptures make the age of the w^orld to be something less than six 
thousand years ; that, at the time of placing our first parents upon 
it, the world itself was created from nothing. But have they any 
right to such an assumption ? Where is it said in Scripture that 
the world we inhabit was made from nothing at the time of the crea- 
tion of our first parents ? I answer confidently, nowhere. 

S. — How then do you interpret the first verse of the Bible : " Li 
the beginning God created the heavens and the earth ? " 

F. — This sentence I regard as a paragraph by itself. It is an 
independent, a most important, and, I will add, — considering the 
circumstances under which it was written, — a most remarkable 
declaration ; announcing that, at some time, at some remote period 



68 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

of antiquity, in the beginning of his works, God did create the 
heavens and the earth. There is not a verse in the Bible which 
bears the impress of Divine revelation more strongly than this. 
At what period, in the lapse of eternal ages, this great event took 
place, we are not informed ; what was the appearance or consistence 
of the earth at its first creation we are not informed ; nor have we 
the slightest information as to the changes and revolutions of the 
world, nor as to the forms of animal and vegetable life which it bore 
upon its surface, during the remoter ages of its history. This was 
emphatically the geological period of the world ; and the geologist 
has space enough here for his deepest, widest researches. He has 
scope enough for any conclusions to which he may reasonably come, 
without the remotest danger of trenching on any of the annuncia- 
tions of revealed truth. 

That a vastly long period intervened between the proper creation 
of the world, spoken of in the first verse of the Bible, and the com- 
mencement of the six days' work, recorded in the following verses, 
there can be no reasonable doubt. It was during this period that 
the earth assumed a solid form. Its heated masses were cooled and 
conglomerated ; the primary rocks were crystallized.; the transition, 
the secondary, and the deeper portion of the tertiary rocks were de- 
posited and petrified ; the lower forms of animal and vegetable exist- 
ence appeared and perished ; multitudes of marine and amphibious 
animals, — some of them of huge and terrific forms, — lived and died, 
and their remains lie embedded in the solid rocks. Vast quanti- 
ties of vegetable matter also accumulated on the earth, and was 
treasured up beneath its surface for the future use and benefit of 
man. 

S, — Is it likely that the earth was at rest and quiet, during this 
long primitive period ? 

F. — No ; geology teaches that it was not at rest. It underwent 
frequent and terrible revolutions. Its internal fires were raging in 
their prison house, and often bursting through the crust which con- 
fined them. The mountains were upheaved from their deeper than 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 69 

ocean beds ; trap-dykes were formed ; and the stratified rocks were 
tilted from their original, horizontal positions in every direction. 

aS'. — When do we next hear of the state of the earth in the Bible ? 
And what do we hear? 

F. — It was subsequent, as I think, to one of these terrible revolu- 
tions of which I have spoken — a revolution which had torn the earth 
to its center, merged the greater part of it beneath the ocean, and 
destroj^ed almost every trace of animal and vegetable existence, that 
mention is made of it in the second verse of our Bible. It was 
then " without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of 
the deep." 

aS'. — Why was the earth dark at this period? 

F, — Not because there was no sun, but because murky, caliginous 
gases and vapors had utterly obscured the light of the sun, and shut 
it out from the desolate world. It was like the darkness of Egypt, 
in one of the plagues of that smitten country. 

But God had not abandoned the work of his own hands. He 
had nobler purposes to answer by this seemingly ruined world than 
any which it had hitherto accomplished. It was no longer to be 
the abode of saurians, and mastodons, and other huge and terrific 
monsters, but was to be fitted up and adorned for a new and nobler 
race of beings. Accordingly, the Spirit of God began to move upon 
the turbid waters, and order and peace were gradually restored. 

S. — The thought you have here suggested is one of great interest. 
Please go on and interpret the first chapter of Genesis, in accord- 
ance with this theory. 

F, — Upon the first day, God said, " Let there be light, and there 
was light." The dense clouds and vapors, which had enveloped the 
earth, and shut out entirely the light of heaven, were so far dissi- 
pated, that it was easy to distinguish between day and night. 

On the second day, God said, " Let there be a firmament in the 

midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. 

And God called the firmament heaven." The work here denoted 

7as the elevation of the clouds, and the separation of the aerial 



70 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

waters by a visible firmament — the seeming canopy of heaven — 
from those which rested on the earth. 

'' And God said, Let the Avaters under the heaven be gathered 
together into one place, and let the dry land appear; and it was so. 
And God called the dry land earthy and the gathering together of 
the waters called he seas. And God said, Let the earth bring forth 
grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit-tree yielding fruit after 
his kind ; and it was so. And the evening and the morning were 
the third day." In the course of this day, vast portions of the 
earth's surface were elevated ; others were depressed ; continents 
and islands were raised up ; and the seas and oceans were made to 
know their bounds. As soon as the dry land appeared, it began to 
be clothed with vegetation. The forming hand of the Creator cov- 
ered it (without doubt, by miracles) with new species of trees and 
vegetables, in place of those which had been destroyed. 

" And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of heaven to 
divide the day from the night. And God made two great lights ; 
the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the 
night. He made the stars also. And the evening and the morning 
were the fourth day." 

aS'. — Were the sun, moon, and stars literally made on this fourth 
day? 

F. — I think not; but they were now made to shine out upon the 
renovated earth. They now first became visible lights to the form- 
ing world. The dark clouds and vapors had before been so far dis- 
sipated, that it was easy to distinguish between day and night. But 
now they were entirely dissipated, and the lights of heaven shone 
down upon the earth in full-orbed splendor. 

The representation throughout this chapter, it should be re- 
marked, is rather lohenomenal.^ than philosophical and literal. It 
accords with what would have been the appearance of things, had 
there been any spectator on the earth, at the time, to observe them. 
Thus when it is said that God made a firmament^ we are not to un- 
derstand that the seeming canopy above us is a literal thing^ a shin- 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 1\ 

ing substance ; but only that such is the appearance to a spectator 
on the earth. And when it is said that God made two great lights, 
and set them in the firmament, we are not to suppose that the sun 
and moon were now first created, and fixed in the blue expanse, but 
that such would have been the appearance to man, had he been alive 
on the fourth day, when the sun and moon commenced their shining. 

On the fifth day, God peopled the Avaters with fishes, and the air 
with birds and flying fowls. 

On the sixth day, he brought forth the beast of the earth, the 
cattle, and every creeping thing, after his kind. He also created 
man in his own image. Male and female created he them, and 
gave them dominion over all the creatures that he had made. 

On the seventh day, God ended his work — the great work of re- 
organizing and renewing a desolate Avorld, preparing it for the resi- 
dence of man, and placing man and the other creatures upon it. 
" And he blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it, because that in 
it he had rested from all his Avork." 

S. — Have Ave here the institution of the Aveekly Sabbath? 

F. — Undoubtedly ; it came doAvn to us from the garden of Eden. 
Next to marriage, it Avas the first institution giA^en to man. In the 
fourth commandment, there is an express reference to the Sabbath 
as haAdng been instituted at the creation. 

S. — I perceive that, in harmonizing the Scripture account of the 
creation Avith the facts of science, you do not take the ground of 
some commentators, that the days spoken of in the first chapter of 
Genesis are not literal days, but indefinitely long periods of time. 

F. — I cannot take this ground, and that for tAvo reasons : It seems 
to me inconsistent Avith the facts of the case, and also with the lan- 
guage of Scripture. If there Avas no sun in existence before the 
fourth long period or day, — as the adA' ocates of the cycle period gen- 
erally admit, — then hoAv could the earth, AA'ithout a sun, be covered 
with trees and vegetables through all the third period ? And hoAV 
could the earth, Avithout a sun, be held in its orbit ? And hoAv were 
the evening and the morning produced ? 



72 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

But my principal objection to the cycle theory grows out of the 
language of the Bible. The seventh day was a season of holy and 
blessed rest. Was this also an indefinitely long period ? And if 
so, what becomes of the primeval institution of the Sabbath, and 
the antediluvian division of time into weeks of seven days ? And 
what shall be said of the language of the fourth commandment, and 
the reason there assigned for its observance? "In six days the 
Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and 
rested the seventh day; wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath 
day, and hallowed it" (Ex. xx. 11). This alone is sufficient to prove 
that the six working days of the creation were no more than literal 
days, as the seventh was a literal day of rest. 

S. — But is not your interpretation of the six days' work equally 
inconsistent with the fourth commandment, which says that "in six 
days the Lord made the heavens, and the earth, the sea, and all that 
in them is ; " whereas you have said that the six days' work was 
only the renewing, reorganizing, and repeopling of a previously 
created but then desolate world. 

F. — The original word translated made in the fourth command- 
ment does not import, like that in the first verse of the Bible, a 
literal creation., but rather a transformation., a fabrication., the shap- 
ing and making of one thing from another. Li this sense, the 
world was literall}^ made in six days : not created, but made over — 
made what it now is. It was fitted up for the residence of man, 
and the present species of animals and vegetables, and they were 
placed upon it. 

S. — Were six literal days sufficient, — unless we suppose many 
things to have been done by miracle, — for renewing and repeopling 
the earth? 

F. — AVe do suppose many things to have been done by miracle ; 
and all who hold to a proper creation or reorganization of the world 
must admit the same. The whole work was' an almost continual 
succession of miracles. The formation of every new species of ani- 
mal or vegetable Avas a miracle. There is a natural law by which 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 73 

a species, once created, may propagate itself, but no law by which it 
may bring itself into being, or by which one species may generate 
another, or may grow, develop into another. Hence, the commence- 
ment of every new species involves a miracle, in whatever time or 
manner the work may have been performed. It is as much a mira- 
cle to form an acorn, and let it grow into an oak, as it would be to 
form the oak itself. It is as much a miracle to form an infant, and 
let him grow up to a man, as it would be to form a man. There 
is no avoiding the supposition of miracles in the forming and peo- 
pling of the world, in whatever manner the work may have been 
done ; and if we allow the intervention of miracles, then six days, — 
or even a less time, if such had been the pleasure of the Almighty, 
— would have been amply sufficient for the work performed. 

aS'. — It is objected, you know, to the creation of man at the time 
supposed in the Scriptures, that his existence may be traced to a 
much earlier period. 

F. — This is a recent objection of geologists ;* and I have exam- 
ined all the facts Avhich have been adduced in support of it — the 
flint implements, the jaw-bones and skeletons, the brick and pottery 
of the Xile, the lake buildings, etc. I might remark upon them all 
at length ; but really they do not deserve so much attention. The 
things discovered may be the relics, — or some of them may, — of 
antediluvian men, but not of pre-Adamite men. They fail entirely 
to prove the point for which they are adduced, as has been often 
shown by scientific men. 

I adduce two facts for the consideration of those who claim that 
this earth has long been inhabited by human beings, — some say for 
a hundred thousand years. The first relates to the present popula- 
tion of the earth. There is no law of nature more certain than that 
of the increase of population, in a geometrical progression, doubling 
its numbers at ascertainable periods. These periods are not the 



*Only a few years ago, Mr. Lyell, the great advocate of pre-Adamite men, was opposed 
to the progressive development theory, and advocated the comparatively recent origin of 
man on the earth. See memoirs of Prof Silliman, vol. ii., p. 63. 



74 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

same in different circumstances and countries, varying from twenty- 
five to a hundred years. But supposing the earth's population to 
double only once in a hundred years, the whole number in a hun- 
dred thousand years Avould be incalculable. It would not leave a 
square foot of surface to each individual. 

The other fact which we wish to present is this : On supposition 
that men have been living, growing, improving on the earth for a 
hundred thousand years, or for half that time, why is it that the 
historical period of the race is of so recent a date ? Why have we no 
authentic records of some of these long ages ? Why do our standard 
histories commence so near to us, and so near together ? We have 
no history of Persia other than that of Herodotus, or of Egypt than 
that of Manetho, or of Greece than that of Thuc3"'dides, or of China 
than that of Confucius, or of India than the time of Alexander the 
Great. Previous to these times, we have myths and fables, but no 
authentic secular history. And why have we not? Why did not 
those old sages, who lived from fifty to a hundred thousand years 
^go, leave something more intelligible than a jaw-bone, a skull, a 
splint of rock, or a piece of broken pottery? Let those answer, who 
insist upon an indefinitely long period for the existence of man upon 
the earth,beyond that assigned to him in the Bible. 

I trust it will appear from what has been said, that there is noth- 
ing in the scriptural account of the creation which conflicts at all 
with any of the revelations of modern science. Be not afraid of any 
genuine deductions of true science. The world and the Bible are 
from the same author. The inscriptions on the imbedded rocks, 
and on the sacred page, are from the same hand. They cannot con- 
tradict each other ; they never did, and, properly interpreted, they 
never will. Let science be faithfully and thoroughly pursued, — 
the more thoroughly the better, — and its conclusions will always 
serve, not to confute, but to confirm, the declarations of revealed 
truth. 



CONVERSATION VIII. 

THE GARDEN OF EDEN.— Location of the Garden.— What it contained.— The Great 
Rivers. — The Tree of Good and Evil. — Its fruit. — The nature of it. — Why called the 
Tree of Knowledge. — The Tree of Life. — Its object and use. — The result had Adam and 
Eve ate of its fruit. — Moral reflections. 

So7i. — It is said (Gen. ii. 8), that " the Lord planted a garden 
eastward in Eden, and there he put the man which he had made." 
Can you tell us aught about this primeval garden ? Where was it 
situated ? And what did it contain ? 

Father. — Eden was the name of a country, or section of country. 
The garden was some delightful locality in that country, which God 
had prepared for our first parents, and in which he placed them 
immediately after their creation. Moses gives us some description 
of the place, from which, I think, we may determine its situation, or 
very nearly. 

S. — Is it likely that the description of Moses applies to the coun 
try as it was in his day, or as it was originally, before the flood. 

F. — Two considerations go to assure us that the description of 
Moses applies to the rivers and countries spoken of as they were 
after the flood, and as they were known to be in his age. 1. On 
the other supposition, his description would be perfectly useless. 
It could convey no knowledge or idea of the locality whatever. 2. 
The names of the countries described are such as must have been 
given to them after the flood. How came any country to be called 
Havilah ? It was named for Havilah, who was a son of Gush, a 
grandson of Ham, and a great-grandson of Noah (Gen. x. 7). And 
why was any country called Gush, improperly rendered by our trans- 
lators, Ethiopia ? It was named for Gush, the father of Havilah, 
and the son of Ham. We thus see that both the countries referred 
to in the description of Eden were named for individuals who lived 
after the flood. We infer, assuredly, that the description applies to 
these countries as they were subsequent to the deluge, and probably 
in the davs of Moses. 



76 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

S. — Admitting the truth of this, can we determine, from the 
description of Moses, where Eden, or the Garden of Eden, was situ- 
ated ? 

F. — It is certain from the account in Genesis, that Eden must 
have been contiguous to the rivers, Hiddekel and Euphrates. The 
Hiddekel is undoubtedly the Tigris. It was so considered by 
the ancients generally, and is so translated in the Septuagint. It 
agrees to the Tigris, in that it goes before Assyria. Moses calls the 
Euphrates the Phrat ; and so it has been called from the most an- 
cient times. The little word Eu^ signifying water, has been pre- 
fixed to it ; so that Euphrates is literally the Avaters of the Phrat. 

S. — From the description thus far, it is clear that Eden must 
have been somewhere on the rivers Euphrates and Tigris ; but 
where ? 

F. — As these rivers rise near each other in the mountains of 
Armenia, some Avriters have been inclined to place the garden of 
Eden there. But there are two objections to this supposition. 1. 
The garden of Eden was eastward from the place where Moses was 
when he wrote the account : " The Lord planted a garden eastward 
in Eden." Now if Moses wrote the Pentateuch during the sojourn 
of the Israelites in the wilderness, the mountains of Armenia would 
have been, not eastward from him, but far to the north. 2. We 
shall look in vain for the lands of Havilah and Cush (translated 
Ethiopia) in the mountains of Armenia. 

S, — In the narrative, Moses speaks not only of the rivers Eu- 
phrates and Hiddekel or Tigris, but of two others, the Pison and 
Gihon. The Pison, he says, " compasseth the whole land of Havi- 
lah, where there is gold." Where now is the land of Havilah? 
Or where did Havilah, the great grandson of Noah, settle ? 

F. — Havilah was in the north-eastern part of Arabia, near the 
Persian Gulf, opposite to Shur on the north-western part, which 
bordered on the Red Sea. Thus it is said of the Ishmaelites that 
"they dwelt from Havilah unto Shur, that is before Egypt" (Gen. 
XXV. 18). We have a parallel expression in 1 Sam. xv. 7. '' And 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 77 

Saul smote the Amalekites from Havilah until thou comest to Shur, 
that is over against Egypt." Shur, then, was in the north-western 
part of Arabia, touching upon the Red Sea, and opposite to it, in 
the north-eastern part, was Havilah, which was compassed by the 
ancient Pison. 

S. — May I next inquire, where was the land of Cush,or Ethiopia, 
which the Gihon compassed ? In other words, where did Gush, the 
grandson of Noah, originally settle ? 

F. — The Cushites or Ethiopians seem to have been a migratory 
people. At a later period, we find them in the south-eastern part 
of Arabia ; and still later in Africa, in the country now called Ethi- 
opia. But their first settlement after the flood seems to have been 
on the eastern mouth-branch of the Euphrates, where it enters the 
Persian Gulf.* The Euphrates, you will remember, after it receives 
the Tigris, flows on in one channel about two hundred miles, when 
it divides into two rivers, forming a delta, like the Nile. The west- 
ernmost of these delta streams, called the Pison, compassed the 
ancient Havilah ; and the easternmost, called the Gihon, compassed 
the ancient Gush, both running into the Persian Gulf. That the 
Cushites originally dwelt on this mouth-branch of the Euphrates is 
evident, because they have left their name there. The country is 
expressly called Cuth or Cush^ and the inhabitants Cuthai or Cush- 
lies (2 Kings xvii. 24, 36). 

We have now found the four rivers spoken of by Moses, — the 
Euphrates, the Tigris, the Gihon and the Pison ; and it cannot be 
difficult to fix pretty nearly the situation of the primitive Eden. 
It must have been on the Euphrates between its junction with the 
Tigris and its separation into the Pison and Gihon. And some- 
where in this land of Eden was the garden — the paradise of Adam 
and Eve. The great river Euphrates ran through the land of Eden, 
and " went out of it to water the garden ; and from thence," i. e., 
from the land of Eden, " it was parted into four heads " or streams ; 
two coming down from above, and dividing itself into two below. 

*See Rawlinson's Evidences, p. 274. 



78 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

Other hypotheses have been urged as to the locality of Eden ; but 
upon a careful review of what has been said, I am sure that the one 
here suggested is the best established. I know no other spot on 
the face of the earth which agrees at all with the description that 
Moses has left us. 

S. — Having now fixed the locality of Eden, let us pause and con- 
sider what kind of place it was, and what it contained. 

F. — Its very name imports that it was a delightful place. The 
imagination of a Milton could not have exceeded it. In it was 
" every tree that was pleasant to the sight, and good for food. The 
tree of life, also, was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the 
knowledge between good and evil." Both of these were fruit trees; 
but as to the kind of fruit which either of them bore we have no 
knowledge. Without doubt, the fruit of the tree of knowledge was 
tempting and beautiful. It was placed in the garden for the trial 
of our innocent first parents. They needed a trial. They must 
have a trial. God tries all his intelligent creatures before he fixes 
them in their eternal state. ^ As our first parents were unlearned 
and inexperienced, it was proper that their trial should be of the 
plainest, simplest kind. The prohibition enjoined upon them was 
one which they could not misunderstand, and which they could 
not ignorantly or excusably violate. 

S. — Why was the tree of which you speak called " the tree of the 
knowledge between good and evil ? " 

F. — It was so called, I presume, because by means of it our first 
parents came to know, experimentally^ the- difference between good 
and evil. But for this tempting, seductive tree, they never had 
known, in their own experience, what sin, or pain, or evil was, and 
consequently had not known the difference between evil and good. 

S. — But there was another tree in the midst of the garden, called 
the tree of life. What are we to suppose Avas the import, the object, 
and use of this remarkable tree ? 

F. — Before directly answering this question, let it be observed 
that temporal death — the dissolution of the connection between soul 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 79 

and body — is to be regarded as one of the bitter consequences of 
the fall. So it is represented in the Scriptures. " By man came 
death." "In Adam all die." "By one man sin entered into the 
world, and death hy sin.'' It is not at all likely that man would 
ever have been called to suffer the pains of temporal death, if he 
had not sinned. He might not indeed have lived in this world 
always ; but some easier exit out of it would have been provided 
for him than through the iron gate of death. He might have been 
translated, as were Enoch and Elijah. At any rate, he would not 
have been called to suffer the pains of temporal dissolution. 

But if man, in his innocence, was not subject to death, then some 
provision must have been made for counteracting and removing the 
sources of disease and dissolution within him — the ordinary causes 
of death. As he was not to lead a life of indolence, but one of 
cheerful, healthful industry, dressing the garden of Eden and keep- 
ing it, he was subject, as man now is, to casualties and injuries. 
He was subject inherently and necessarily to hunger, thirst, lassi- 
tude, weariness, disease, decay ; and these must ultimately have 
worn him out, and resulted in death, had not some method been 
devised to counteract their influence, and repair those wastes in the 
physical constitution, which they were sure to make. And here, 
I think, we may discover the precise object and use of the tree of 
life. This was placed in the midst of the garden, in a situation 
easy of access, that it might be a perfect and universal restorative ; 
that it might heal all maladies, overcome all the causes of disease 
and decay, and preserve, innocent and happy,man in a state of per- 
petual health, strength and maturity, until his trial was ended, and 
he should be removed to his final and glorified state in heaven. 

S. — Your explanation of this matter is certainly reasonable, and 
is confirmed by the name which was given to the tree. It was the 
tree of life, importing that life was to be perpetuated, and death 
averted, by means of it. 

F. — The same is further evident from what was said of the tree 
subsequent to the apostasy. Of the curse pronounced upon fallen 



80 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

man, temporal death constituted an important part. " In the sweat 
of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground ; 
for out of it wast thou taken ; for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt 
thou return^ Of the infliction here denounced, there ivas to he^ 
there has been, no remission.* The dread decree has been rigidly 
executed, and will be to the end of time. But the tree of life is in 
the garden, and how is fallen man ever to die, if he may have free 
access to it ? If he may pluck and apply its healing leaves, and 
partake of its life-giving, health-restoring fruit, how is the inexo- 
rable decree of temporal dissolution ever to be executed ? It cannot 
be. Hence, man must be shut out from the tree of life, or he will 
never return to the dust. He must be rigidly excluded from it, or 
he will live forever. Accordingly, we find him instantly driven out 
from the garden of Eden, and debarred from entering it ; and all for 
the specific reason : " Lest he put forth his hand, and take of the 
tree of life, and eat, and live forever T 

jS. — A striking confirmation of the explanation which you have 
given ! I wonder it had not occurred to me before. 

F. — The garden of Eden has long been desolated, and the literal 
tree of life has ceased from the earth. It could not long flourish in 
this infected, doomed, accursed world ; and while it remained there 
was no approach to it for fallen man. But let us be thankful that 
there is another tree of life, the approaches to which are guarded by 
no flaming sword ; whose leaf does not wither ; whose fruit does not 
fail ; which lives, and flourishes, and blooms forever. It is planted, 
not in the literal Eden, bat in the Paradise of God above ; and the 
way to it is open to all his obedient children : " Blessed are they 
that do Ms commandments, that they may have a right to the tree of 
life, and may enter in through the gates into the city." 

*With the exception of Enoch and EJijah. 



CONVERSATION IX. 

THE ORIGINAL SIN. — ^Adam and Eve made in the image of God. — What we are ti. 
understand by that, — Their free moral agency. — Duties in the garderv. — The death im- 
plied for disobedience. — The serpent. — What it was. — Power to speak. — Why the devil 
did not tempt Adam. — The immediate consequences of transgression. — The sentence 
delayed. — The curse on the serpent. — The curse on the woman. — The significance of the 
curse on Adam. — Entailed sin a law of nature. 

Father. — Our last conversation was on the garden of Eden. I 
am now to speak of an event which early occurred in the garden — 
an event in which we all have a melancholy interest — the fall of 
our first parents. 

Son. — Our first parents are said to have been made in the image 
of Grod. What are we to understand by this expression ? 

F. — That they were, in their measure and faculties, like God. 
They bore, in the first place, his natural image. God is a spirit ; 
and so were they. God has intelligence, reason, conscience, and 
will ; and so had they. God is a free moral agent ; and so were 
they. Our first parents bore also the moral image of God. They 
were holy, like God. Their holiness was the same, — not in degree, 
but in kind, — as that of their Maker. 

S. — What resulted to our first parents from the fact of their free, 
moral, responsible agency? 

F. — They came at once under the law and the government of God. 
They were subject to the great law of love, and to all those out- 
ward exemplifications of it which are discoverable by the light of 
reason and nature. They were subject also to a few plain, positive 
precepts. They were to dress the garden of Eden and to keep it. 
They were to observe the Sabbath, and from one of the trees of the 
garden — the tree of the knowledge between good and evil — they 
were to abstain entirely, under penalty of death. " Ye shall not 
eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die." This injunction 
seems to have been laid upon our first parents more especially for 
their trial. They were on trial to see if they would keep all God's 



82 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

commandments, but more especially this. This was a plain, posi- 
tive command, the import of which they could not misunderstand, 
and the reasons of which, probably, they did not fully comprehend ; 
so that obedience to it would be a suitable trial of their faith^ as 
well as of their moral strength. 

S. — And what was the death threatened in case of disobedience ? 

F. — As our first parents were, at this time, under a dispensation 
of pure law^ the death threatened was, I suppose, the proper penalty 
of the law — the same which was inflicted on the apostate angels 
when they sinned ; in other words, it was spiritual and eternal death. 

jS. — But did not temporal death constitute a part of the tlireat- 
ening ? 

F. — That temporal death, though a sad consequence of sin, consti- 
tutes no part of the proper penalty of the Divine law, is evident 
from two considerations ; 1. Christ does not redeem his people from 
temporal death. He came to redeem them from the curse of the 
law, and he does redeem them from it. He redeems them from 
spiritual and eternal death. But from temporal dissolution Christ 
does not redeem his people. They die, in this sense, as well as 
others, — a fact showing conclusively that temporal dissolution con- 
stitutes no part of the curse and penalty of the law. 2. If the 
proper penalty of the law, involving the destruction of soul and 
body in hell, had been immediately executed upon our first par- 
ents, there had been no room for temporal death. It had been 
entirely precluded. Soul and body, — a changed body, of coiu'se, — 
must have gone to destruction together, and could not have been 
separated. 

You see now how our first parents were situated in the garden of 
Eden, — intelligent beings, free moral agents, under a dispensation 
of law which they had never transgressed, and on trial to see 
whether they would persevere in holiness, and thus secure everlast- 
ing life, or whether they would transgress the law, and incur the 
penalty Avhich hung suspended over them. The result of their pro- 
bation we too well know. The serpent persuaded the woman, and 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 83 

she persuaded her husband, to " eat of that forbidden tree, whose 
mortal taste brought death into the world, and all our woe." 

S, — What are we to understand bj the serpent, who performed so 
base a part in tliis transaction ? 

F. — That he was an animal of the serpent kind, and not (as some 
have thought) a baboon or monkey, I have no doubt. He is ex- 
pressly called a serpent by the Apostle Paul (2 Cor. xi. 3). He 
probably had other means of locomotion besides what serpents now 
have, — feet, or wings, or something of the kind, of which he was 
divested, in consequence of his assault upon our unsuspecting 
mother. Still, he Avas a species of serpent. 

S. — And was he no more than a mere serpent ? 

F. — Yes, something more. He displayed an artifice, a cunning, a 
subtlety, a malice, of which no mere brute animal was ever capable. 
His body and faculties were possessed, for the time, by that old 
Serpent., the Bevil^ the Wicked One. Devils sometimes possess the 
bodies of animals, as well as of men. In the time of our Savior, a 
legion of them once entered into a herd of swine, wliich, in conse- 
quence, ran violently down a steep place into the sea, and were 
drowned. That the devil was the real agent in deceiving our first 
mother, and drawing her into sin, is evident from the nature of the 
case ; and is implied in many Scriptures. Accordingly, the curse 
pronounced upon the serpent extended farther than to the literal 
animal. It reached to that old Serpent, the devil, and portended 
the victory wliich our Savior was to acliieve over him upon the 
cross. 

S. — Do you suppose that the serpent did really speak to Eve ? 
And if he did, was not his speaking a miracle, and a miracle per- 
formed for a bad purpose — for the purpose of drawing our first par- 
ents into sin ? 

F. — I think the serpent did literally speak to the woman. He 
held a conversation with her. We must suppose this, unless we 
regard the whole narrative as an allegory — a supposition which the 
connection, and many other Scriptures, forbid. Nor is it certain 



U CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

that the speaking of Satan through the organs of the serpent was a 
Iniracle, involving, as all miracles do, a direct interposition of the 
power of God. The probability is that Satan was able, bj his own 
natural power, to speak audibly and intelligibly through the organs 
of the serpent. He often spoke, through the human organs, in the 
time of Christ. In repeated instances, he spoke through the organs 
of the poor frantic demoniacs, and enabled them to utter truths con- 
cerning which, of themselves, they had no knowledge. But if Satan 
could speak, through the human organs, why might he not through 
the organs of the serpent ? 

S. — My next inquiry relates to the possibility that our first par- 
ents, situated as they were, should fall into sin. The}^ Avere per- 
fectly holy. Their propensities, feelings and habits were all holy. 
How then could temptation reach such minds ? How could it over- 
come them ? 

F. — Certainly, no good reason can be given for the fall of our first 
parents. Their act of transgression was altogether unreasonable, 
and without excuse. Still, I have never supposed that there was 
anything inexplicably mysterious or unaccountable in the matter 
Their fall, I think, may be explained as well as many other wicked 
things which have been transacted in the world. Being free moral 
agents, our first parents must have had the suscejjiihilities appropri- 
ate to such agents. They must have been susceptible to motive 
influences, both to good and evil, the right and the wrong. Such 
susceptibilities imply nothing wrong in the person possessing them. 
but only that, as a moral agent, he is capable of wrong. Our Savior 
must have had them, or he could not have been tempted any way. 
Our first parents must have had them, else they could have had no 
trial at all. 

But our first parents were not onl}^ moral agents, and had the 
susceptibilities of moral agents, they were also on probation or trial. 
Hence it was necessary that they should have something to try 
them ; because a state of trial, in which there was nothing to try 
them, would be no trial at all. Being susceptible to motive influ- 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 85 

ences both to good and to evil, it was involved in their very proba- 
tion that such motives shonkl be actually presented. In order that 
they might be, the tempter Avas permitted to enter the garden. 
Embodied in the wily serpent, he approaches the woman, whom he 
finds alone, somewhere near the forbidden tree, and enters into con- 
versation Avith her; "Yea, hath God said that ye shall not eat of 
every tree of the garden ? Is God dealing thus hardly with you ? Is 
he thus arbitrarily interdicting your freedom? " And the woman 
said, '' We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden ; but of 
the fruit of this one tree, which stands here in the midst of the gar- 
den, God hath said that ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch 
it, lest ye die.'' But the serpent said unto the woman, " Ye shall 
not surely die. Xo such evil is to be apprehended. I have often 
eaten of it, and I am not dead. God, it seems, is jealous of you. 
He is arbitrarily restricting you to your hurt ; for he well knows 
that, in the day ye eat thereof, your eyes shall be opened, as mine 
are, and ye shall become as gods, knowing good and evil." 

In this artful address, we see how the serpent appeals to the moral 
susceptibilities of the woman, and plies his motive influence upon 
her. First, he undertakes to shake her confidence in God, and 
Aveaken her sense of obligation to him, so that the motives to disobe- 
dience may find little or no resistance. Then he flatly lies to her ; 
he blinds and deceives her as to the dreaded consequences of trans- 
gression. Next, he appeals to her senses. " See how beautiful this 
fruit is, and how delicious to the taste." He appeals also to her 
natural curiosity, to her desire of knowledge, and desire of happi- 
ness ; — all of them powerful principles of action ; and hj all, he 
urges her to make the experiment ; assuring her that it can do no 
harm, but good ; that it Avill make her instantly wise and happy. 
And the confiding, inexperienced creature believes him. He so pre- 
sents the motives to transgression, that they do predominate over all 
opposing good influences, and die yields. She puts forth her hand ; 
she takes ; she eats. The deed is done ; the serpent's malice is 
satiated ! and he retires from the scene. 



86 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

S. — Why does he not stay, and ply his influences upon Adam? 

F. — He thinks it quite unnecessary. He leaves Adam in the 
hands of a more powerful tempter than himself. Eve soon finds 
her husband ; tells him what she has done ; tells him how delicious 
the fruit is, and how desirable to make one wise ; assures him, from 
her own experience, that there is no fear of death ; and urges him, 
by all the regard which he ought to have for his own good, and by 
all the love which he bears to her, to take and eat likewise. Nor is 
it so very strange or unaccountable, that her persuasions prevailed 
with him. For, in addition to all the motives which had overcome 
her, there was the additional one of conjugal affection. Adam 
could not be separated from his beloved Eve. He preferred to be 
united with her, though it Avere in transgression. If Eve must die, 
he chose to die with her. He took the forbidden fruit from her 
hands, and did as she required. 

That our first parents acted unreasonably and wickedly in all 
this, there can.be no doubt. They committed a great and dreadful 
sin ; but I see not that there was anything inexplicable about it. I 
think it may be accounted for, on philosophical principles, as easily 
as most of the wickedness which is perpetrated among men. 

S. — What were the immediate consequences of the transgression 
to our first parents themselves ? 

F. — Their eyes were opened; but in a way which they did not 
expect. They were opened to their own sin, and shame, and guilt. 
They had come to a knowledge of good and evil such as they never 
had before. They stood guilty and condemned, without refuge or 
hope, expecting the wrath and curse of their Creator. They were 
afraid to meet him, and so they fled and hid themselves among the 
trees of the garden. But vain is their attempt to hide themselves 
from God. He soon finds them, summons them forth, and calls 
them to a strict account. They can offer no sufficient excuse ; and 
instead of taking blame to themselves, they endeavor to shuffle it off 
upon each other. The man blames the woman, and the woman the 
serpent. 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 87 

IS. — And why was not the threatened penalty immediately exe- 
cuted upon them ? 

F. — Not because the sentence of eternal death was remitted ; for 
it was not remitted. But the execution of it was for a time sus- 
pended., in order to make room for the dispensation of grace. Of this 
dispensation,! shall have more to say hereafter. 

S. — The several curses are now pronounced. Please explain to 
us the curse upon the serpent. 

F. — The curse upon the serpent is as follows : " Because thou 
hast done this thing, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above 
every beast of the field. Upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust 
shalt thou eat, all the days of thy life." Thus far, the curse seems 
to rest upon the literal serpent. If he had legs or wings before, 
they were now taken from him, and he was doomed, henceforth, to 
creep upon his belly, and to lick the dust. The remainder of the 
curse upon the serpent had respect more particularly to that old 
serpent, the Devil, whose agency was chiefl}" concerned in the temp- 
tation. " I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and be- 
tween thy seed and her seed. It shall bruise thy head, and thou 
shalt bruise his heel." We have here the first dawn of hope for the 
fallen human pair. The language carries with it an assurance that 
they were not to be destroyed immediately ; that they should live 
to have a seed ; and that a descendant of Eve should utterly van- 
quish the old serpent, and put an end to his usurped dominion over 
man. All this, I hardly need say, was fulfilled in the great seed of 
the woman — the Lord Jesus Christ. Satan bruised his heel, when 
he brought him to the cross; but he, by dying on the cross, van- 
quished Satan, and defeated all his diabolical designs. " Through 
death, he destroyed him which had the power of death, that is, the 
Devil." 

S. — What have you to say as to the curse upon the woman ? 

F. — The curse of the woman has rested heavily upon the daugh- 
ters of Eve, from that time to the present. In sorrow and pain has 
she brouglit forth her children. Her desire has been unto her hus- 



88 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

band, and he has ruled over her. The degradation of woman, and 
her sufferings from the other sex, more especially in those parts of 
the world not blessed with the light of revealed truth, have been 
dreadful. She has not been punished /or the sin of her first mother, 
but her sufferings in consequence of it have been long and terrible. 

S. — The curse upon Adam is still more significant. Please give 
us an explanation of that. 

F. — The curse upon the man includes two things : 1. A curse 
upon the ground^ involving the necessity of hard and wasting labor 
on his part, in order to procure a subsistence from it. 2. Temporal 
dissolution or death. " And unto Adam God said, Cursed is the 
ground for thy sake ; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of 
thy life. Thorns and thistles shall it bring forth unto thee, and 
thou shalt eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of thy face shalt 
thou eat bread, until thou return unto the ground ; for out of it 
wast thou taken. For dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou 
return." The curse upon the ground involved some change in re- 
gard to its natural productions. What this was, and how it was 
produced, we cannot tell. As much as this, however, may be said, 
that whereas the spontaneous productions of the earth before the 
fall were nutritious and useful, so that a sustenance was easily pro- 
cured, the case was very different afterwards. Then the ground 
brought forth spontaneously the thorn and the tliistle, the noxious 
weed and herb ; while those productions most necessary for the sus- 
tenance and use of man could be procured only by toil and labor. 
Certainl}', we find this to be true now ; and all the generations of 
men from Adam downward have found the same. Such an order 
of things we have reason to know was entailed upon us in conse- 
quence of sin. 

I have said that a part of the curse upon man Avas temporal disso- 
lution. In the verses aboi^e read, Ave have the first mention of tem- 
poral death Avhich occurs in the Bible. The death threatened to 
Adam in case he transgressed, I have shown, was not temporal death. 
It Avas the proper sentence of the laAV, Avhich is eternal death. The 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 89 

execution of this penalty, I have said, was for a time suspended, in 
order to make room for the dispensation of grace. This dispensa- 
tion had now been revealed and entered upon. A seed of the 
woman had been promised, who should bruise the serpent's head. 
Fallen man may be saved, if he will believe and trust in the prom- 
ised Savior. If he accedes to the kind offer of life in time, the in- 
curred penalty of the law is not only suspended, but remitted. The 
transgressor is forgiven, and received back into the favor and the 
love of God. But if the gracious offer is not accepted in time, if it 
is neglected and rejected ; then the suspended penalty comes down 
upon the head of the transgressor with new aggravations. He has 
now not only broken the law, but he has trodden under foot the Son 
of God. 

Up an such a probation as this were Adam and Eve placed, imme- 
diately upon the promise of a Savior. Upon just such a probation 
are we all placed, during the continuance of the present life. Of 
this new probation of grace temporal death is the proper termina- 
tion. When God has waited to be gracious long enough, and can 
consistently wait no longer, he breaks the brittle thread of life, and 
turns the body back to the dust from which it was taken. This, 
then, is the proper significance of temporal death — to terminate the 
probation of fallen man, and settle the question, whether he is to 
rise or sink, be happy or miserable forever. Though not the proper 
penalty of the law, it is a fruit and consequence of sin ; but such a 
consequence as can be realized only under a dispensation of grace. 
Hence, it was not until the dispensation of grace had been opened, 
and a Savior had been promised, that we first hear of temporal death 
in the Bible. 

S. — It seems that the curses upon our first parents were not 
limited to them personall}^, but descend, consequentially, to their 
posterity. 

F. — Yes ; the ground brought forth the thorn and thistle to 
Adam ; and so it has done to all his descendants. He ate his bread 
in the sweat of his face ; and so have they. He was doomed to end 



90 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 



his probation in the dust, and so are they. The curse of Eve, too, 
has descended to all her daughters. Like their first mother, they 
have brought forth their offspring in sorrow and pain. 

>S'. — Are we not sinners also in consequence of Adam's sin ? 

F. — I suppose we are. That there is a consequential connection 
between our sin and that of our first parents is clearly set forth in 
the Scriptures, and is admitted by all evangelical Christians. Re- 
specting the nature of this connection, and the manner of it, there 
have been various opinions ; but the fact is universally admitted. 
Adam was, in a higher sense than any other individual that ever 
lived, a representative man. He represented the human race. In 
fact, he and his wife, at that time, constituted the human race. They 
constituted it all. There were no others. In many respects, they 
acted, not only for themselves, but for the race. What was said to 
them was said, through them, to the race. What was done for them 
was done, in like manner, for the race. When Adam sinned, he 
fell at once into a state of spiritual depravity, corruption and death. 
His heart, his affections and actions were all sinful. In this state, 
he begat children in his own image and likeness. They were like 
him in nature, and as soon as they began to act, they were like him 
in character. They were actual transgressors, sinners against God, 
and must be saved by the promised seed of the woman, or be lost 
forever. 

S. — Is there not an important natural law — a law of nature, ac- 
cording to which all this comes to pass ? 

F. — I think there is. The great law of likeness runs through all 
the works of God. Every seed in the vegetable world produces its 
like. Every animal which is capable of propagation produces its 
like. And this law of universal likeness is a good law. What un- 
speakable confusion and misery would ensue, should it be abro- 
gated ? 

In accordance with this general law, Adam begat a son in his 
own sinful likeness ; and that son begat others ; and these others ; 
and so on to the present time. This order of things could not have 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 91 

been changed without a miracle, and such a miracle God has never 
been pleased to perform. 

You see, then, that we are all sinners in consequence of the sin of 
our first progenitors. You see, too, how this has come to pass. It 
has come by the operation of a great, a general, and a most benevo- 
lent law — a law which could not be set aside but by miracle, and a 
kind of miracle which God was not pleased to perform. And now, 
instead of murmuring and complaining that " by one man's disobe- 
dience many were made sinners," let us rather repent of our sins, 
and forsake them, and put our trust in that Divine seed of the 
woman, who has come and crushed the serpent's head. 



CONVERSATION X. 

CAIN AND ABEL. — Their birth. — Were they savages. — Eeligion. — Institution of the 
bloody sacrifice. — Ordained by God. — God's reason for not accepting the offering of 
Cain. — Cain's anger. — Murder of Abel. — The result. — Wives of Cain and Abel. — People 
to whom Cain fled. — Cain's posterity. — Abel's descendants. — The family of Adam and 
Eve. — Progress of population. — Object of Enoch's translation. — Extended lives of the 
antediluvians. 

Father. — Shortly after the expulsion of our first parents from the 
garden of Eclen, we are told that " Adam knew his wife, and she 
conceived, and bare Cain." In the joy of deliverance, she said, "I 
have gotten a man from the Lord ; " or more' literally rendered, " I 
have gotten a man, the Lord ; " thinking him, perhaps, to be the 
promised Seed, which was to bruise the serpent's head. " And she 
conceived again, and bare his brother Abel." 

Son. — How early were these sons born to our first parents ? 

F. — The birth of Cain is supposed to have occurred in the first 
3^ear after the apostasy ; the birth of Abel took place, perhaps, in 
the following year. The brothers grew up together; but their 
occupations were different. " Abel was a keeper of sheep ; but 
Cain was a tiller of the ground." 

S. — Does not this statement contradict the suppositions of natu- 
ralists and infidels, that human beings were, at the first, savages ? 

F. — It certainly does. Savages are not farmers or shepherds. 
They follow the chase, and subsist chiefly on the spontaneous pro- 
ductions of the earth. These infidel notions are also refuted by 
late discoveries in philology. Professor Wilson is engaged in trac- 
ing back words to their remotest origin ; and he finds, from these, 
that in their first use of names and words, men were not savages, 
but were in a partially civilized state. The words they used, the 
names they employed, prove this conclusively.* 

aS'. — What do we learn, from the brief notices given in Genesis, 
as to the religion of Cain and Abel ? 

*See Wilson's Lectures on Language, p. 207. 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 



F. — Tliey had a knowledge of the true God, and were his pro- 
fessed worshipers. God had revealed himself to them, and in- 
structed them as to the manner of his worship; and at stated 
seasons, they brought their offerings unto the Lord. And we are 
told what they brought. " Cain brought the fruit of the ground ; 
but Abel brought the firstlings of his flock, and the fat thereof." 
In other words, he brought a bloody sacrifice. This early institu- 
tion of bloody sacrifices shows that the first inhabitants of the world 
had other and clearer intimations of God's plan of mercy than is 
commonly supposed. They had not only the original promise in 
regard to the seed of the woman, but bloody sacrifices were imme- 
diately instituted, pointing typically to the blood of the cross, and 
inviting the worshiper to make that blood his trust. 

aS'. — Is it certain that bloody sacrifices are not of human inven- 
tion? 

F. — How could the}^ be ? How should man ever have thought 
of propitiating the Deity, by slaying and burning an innocent lamb, 
and sprinkling the altar with its blood, unless he had been so taught 
by God himself? And why should God have prescribed such a 
form of worship, except on the ground of its typical significance — 
except as it shadowed forth, and was designed to shadow forth — 
the bloody sacrifice of the cross ? We have therefore, as I said, in 
the primeval institution of bloody sacrifices, a clear intimation that 
the way of salvation by Christ was early opened to our first parents 
and their descendants, and that they were invited to put their trust 
in him, and live forever. 

aS'. — When, at the time appointed, Cain and Abel brought their 
offerings unto the Lord, why did he not accept the offering of Cain, 
as well as that of Abel ? 

F. — Two reasons may be assigned why God did not accept the 
offering of Cain. The first is, that it was not presented in faith. 
'' By faith Abel offered unto God a more acceptable offering than 
Cain" (Heb. xi. 4). The language here implies that the offering of 
Cain was not presented in faith ; and " without faith, it is impossi- 



94 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE, 

ble to please God," or to be accepted of liim. Then, secondly, 
Cain's offering was not presented in the appointed way ; God had 
instituted a bloody sacrifice — the slaying of the victim, and the 
sprinkling of the altar with its blood. But Cain, either from pride, 
self-will, or some other cause, refused to oifer such a sacrifice. Per- 
haps he had no lamb of his own, and did not like to procure one of 
his brother Abel. He could not see why an offering of corn, or fine 
flour, or fruits, would not do as well. At any rate, he would make 
the experiment. Cain was a rationalist in religion, and a fitting 
type of others of the same class. Abel presented his offering in 
faith, and in the appointed ivay, and it was accepted. Cain pre- 
sented his without faith, in his own way, and it was rejected. 

aS*.— How was Cain affected by the rejection of his offering ? 

E, He was angry with God, and angry with his innocent 
brother. Therefore, God condescended to reason with him. " Why 
art thou wroth ? And wh}^ is thy countenance fallen ? If thou doest 
well, shalt thou not be accepted? And if thou doest not Avell, 
sin" — a sin offering — "lieth at the door." Still Cain was not 
satisfied. His envy and anger burned against his brother ; and as 
they walked together in the field, he violently assaulted him, and 
slew him. 

S, — At what time did the murder of Abel take place ? 

^. — Probably in about the 130th year of the world. We infer 
this from the fact that Seth, who is said to have been given in place 
of Abel, and was given, probably, soon after Abel's death, was born 
when Adam was one hundred and thirty years old. 

S. — What notice was taken of this tragical event, — the first 
human blood that had ever been shed, and, so far as we know, the 
first instance of mortality which had occurred among men ? 

^. — God soon arraigned the murderer, and pronounced upon him 
a terrible doom. " What hast thou done? The voice of thy broth- 
er's blood crieth unto me from the ground. And now art thou 
cursed from the earth which hath opened her mouth to receive thy 
brother's blood. When thou tillest thy ground, it shall not hence- 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 95 

forth yield unto thee her strength. A fugitive and a vagabond 
shalt thou be in the earth." 

aS*. — What further do we hear of Cain ? 

F. — Trembling and afraid, with a murderer's mark and curse 
upon him, Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt 
on the east of Eden, in the land of Nod. How long he lived after 
this we are not informed. We know that he builded a city, and 
called it after the name of one of his sons. Moses gives us the 
names of Cain's descendants to the seventh generation, reaching 
down almost to the time of the flood. 

S. — What was the character of the Cainites ? 

F. — They seem to have been distinguished for their ungodliness. 
They lived much by themselves for a long time ; and when they 
came, at length, to have intercourse with the other descendants of 
Adam, they were a means of corrupting them. " When the sons of 
God saw the daughters of men that they were fair, they took them 
wives of all that they chose." These daughters of men are supposed 
to have been Cainites. At any rate, they were wicked women, as 
vile as they were beautiful, with whom the professed sons of God 
should have had nothing to do. The result of the union was, giants 
in stature, and giants in wickedness, who filled the earth with vio- 
lence, and provoked the Almighty to come out in wrath against it 
and destroy it. 

aS'. — What more can be said of " righteous Abel ? " 

F. — Having lived more than a hundred years — ^long enough to 
have a numerous posterity, though we hear nothing of them, — he 
was smitten down by a brother's hand, in the dreadful manner 
above related. He was taken from the earth, and received up to 
heaven, — the first that ever went there through a Redeemer's blood. 
And I often reflect on the peculiarity of Abel's condition when he 
first appeared in heaven, and of the wonder and joy which his pres- 
ence must have awakened. Up to this time, heaven had been in- 
habited only by angelic beings, — those who had kept their first 
estate, and had never forfeited their Maker's love. Their founda- 



96 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

tion was that of a perfectly observed and honored law ; and their 
praises were only those of creative wisdom, goodness, and power. 
" Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory, and honor, and power; 
for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and 
were created." But now there is a wonder in heaven. The first of 
a new race of beings has made his appearance there ; once of the 
earth, earthy, but now a pure and glorified spirit; once a trans- 
gressor, under the curse of a broken law, but now recovered, re- 
deemed, sanctified, and received into the holy family of God; once 
a rebel, odious and defiled, but he has washed his polluted robe, and 
made it white in the blood of the Lamb. 

S. — Was this the first, do you think, that the angels knew of re- 
deeming mercy ? 

F. — They must have heard something before of the plan of re- 
demption ; for it had been unfolded in heaven, as well as on earth. 
But now they are permitted to see the first fruits of it — the incipient 
travail of the Savior's soul. The ncAV-comer, they perceive, is alto- 
gether a being by himself. He has views and feelings, he occupies 
a position and sings a song, of which angels neither have, nor can 
have, experimental knowledge. He knows what it is to sorrow for 
sin, and to offer up the sacrifice of a penitent and broken heart. He 
knows what it is to renounce entirely his OAvn righteousness, and 
put all his trust in the sacrifice of Christ. He knows what it is to 
be regenerated by the Spirit, to be freely pardoned for Jesus' sake, 
and to be justified through his blood. And being thus justified, 
righteous Abel can sing a song in heaven, which had never been 
heard there before — a song which angels and archangels can never 
learn. It is the song of redeeming mercy. " Unto him who hath 
loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, be all the 
glory of our salvation." 

Being thus situated in heaven, it mattered little to righteous Abel 
that his mangled body was rotting in the earth, and that his blood 
was crying to God from the ground for vengeance. He had risen 
above all that, had triumphed over his last enemy, had gone to his 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 97 

eternal rest. And there we leave him, till we meet him above, and 
hear him tell, better than we can now conceive or describe, what 
were his feelings when he first waked up in heaven, and found him- 
self the only member there of Christ's redeemed family — the only 
trophy of a Savior's blood. 

S. — Before dismissing the subject of Cain and Abel, I have a few 
more questions to ask. Were they married before the murder ; and 
if so, whom did they marry ? And did the}^ have families ? 

F. — Whether Abel was married and had children, we are not in- 
formed. He lived long enough to have a somewhat numerous pos- 
terity, and the probability is that he had one. Persons who live to 
the age of a hundred years in our day, sometimes leave as many as 
five hundred descendants. Old Thomas Fuller tells us of a woman 
in England, Lady Hester Temple of Buckinghamshire, who left 
seven hundred descendants at her death.* Supposing Abel to have 
lived to the age of one hundred and thirty, or nearly, he may have 
left more than this, by a whole generation. 

That Cain had a wife and children, we do know, and if the ques- 
tion be asked. Whom did he marry ? I answer, a sister, a niece, or 
some near relative, undoubtedly. That Adam and Eve had sons 
and daughters besides those whose names are mentioned in the 
Bible, is certain. How many they had, we are not informed, though 
the probability is that they were pretty numerous. At the age of 
twenty-five, Cain may have married a sister ; at the age of fifty, he 
may have married a niece. At any rate, there is no difficulty in 
finding him a wife, without resorting to the unscriptural supposition 
of another race of human beings on the earth, distinct from the 
family of Adam. 

S. — A kindred question to those you have answered relates to 
the sayings and doings of Cain subsequent to the murder. "I shall 
be a fugitive and vagabond in the earth, and every one that findeth 
me shall slay me. And Cain went out from the presence of the 
Lord, and dwelt in the east of Eden, in the land of Nod. And he 

*Worthies of England, vol. i., p. 210. 

7 



98 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

builded a city, and called the name of it after the name of his son, 
Enoch." This language implies that the people were somewhat 
numerous in the vicinity of Cain's residence ; else he would not 
have feared that every one finding him should seek to kill him. 
And then his building a city implies that his own posterity was 
somewhat numerous. He surely would not have builded a city only 
for himself and wife, and his son Enoch. 

F, — The whole difficulty here, if there be any, arises from the 
supposition that the entire posterity of Adam, at the time of Abel's 
death, amounted to only a few persons ; whereas, in all probability, 
it amounted to thousands. Adam and Eve were created, not in- 
fants, but in the maturity of their powers, and became parents, it is 
thought, within a year of their creation. Abel was born, perhaps, 
the next year. Y/e hear nothing more of their children for the 
next hundred years, only that they begat sons and daughters. 
They may have had fifty children older than Seth. Meanwhile, by 
the twenty-fifth year from the creation, they may have had grand- 
children ; and by the fiftieth year, great-grandchildren ; and before 
the hundred and thirtieth year, when Abel is supposed to have 
been killed, they may have had many of the sixth or seventh gener- 
ation. Any one can make estimate as to the probable number of 
their descendants. In my own opinion, they could hardly have 
been less than a hundred thousand souls, — enough, surely, to im- 
press Cain with some fear, as to his own personal safety ; especially, 
if it be considered that some hundreds of these may have been the 
descendants of Abel, who would not forget the fate of their ances- 
tor, and would be inclined to avenge it. The whole account is nat- 
ural and probable, on the supposition that Adam and Eve were the 
parents of all the living. 

S. — The most prominent recorded event between Seth and Noah 
is the translation of Enoch, the seventh from Adam in the line of 
Seth. What have you to say of Enoch ? 

F. — Although he lived in a corrupt and degenerate age, Enoch 
was an eminently holy man. He walked with God. He loved God 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 99 

and served him ; he confided in him, and had habitual and intimate 
communion with him ; and in consequence of this, he " was trans- 
lated that he should not see death " (Heb. xi. 5). 

aS'. — What was the probable object of Enoch's translation ? 

F. — The great ends to be answered by it, I think, Avere two. 1. 
It was a visible token of the Divine approbation — a public reward 
of the patriarch's fidelity. 2. It Avas designed and calculated to 
impress upon a thoughtless world the doctrine of immortality — a 
glorious immortality for the righteous. Where did those wicked 
antediluvians think that Enoch was gone ? What had become of 
him ? He did not die like other men ; nor did he live iwiy longer 
on the earth. Where then was he? To what other conclusion 
could the men of that age come, than that he had passed into an- 
other world — had been taken directly from earth to heaven ? The 
event was calculated to teach them, and impress upon them, that 
there is another world — a world of joy and glory to the righteous. 

aS'. — Do we hear anything of Enoch, after his translation ? 

F. — The Apostle Jude has preserved a memorable prediction 
which he is said to have uttered : '-' Behold the Lord cometh with 
ten thousands of his saints, to execute judgment upon all, and to 
convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds 
which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches 
which ungodly sinners have uttered against him." 

S. — How did Jude come in possession of this fragment of antedi- 
luvian prophecy? 

F. — It matters not how. He may have received it by tradition, 
or direct revelation, or he may have quoted it from some apocry- 
phal book. In any case, his inspiration is a sufficient guaranty of 
its genuineness and truth. I regard the passage as a prediction, 
primarily, of the deluge, which may have been delivered to Enoch 
even sooner than it Avas to Noah. Living in those times of violence 
and wickedness, and having his righteous soul vexed with the horri- 
ble deeds and blasphemies Avhich he witnessed around him, it was 
revealed to this holy man that the Lord was about to come and 



100 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE, 

avenge himself of his adversaries. He was about to come with a 
retinue of holy ones, " to execute judgment upon all, and to con- 
vince all that were ungodly among them of their ungodly deeds." 
Primarily^ I think we have here a prediction of the approaching 
deluge, when the earth was to be destroyed by water; but ulti- 
mately,, we have a prediction of the final judgment, when the world 
is to be destroyed by fire. 

S. — I have but another question. What do you think of the pro- 
longed lives of the antediluvians ? Is it credible that they lived, or 
that some of them did, almost a thousand years ? 

F. — I think it is perfectly credible. The record is unimpeachable, 
and is the same now that it was in ancient times. The Septuagint 
translation was made some two or three hundred years before 
Christ. There are some differences between this and the Hebrew, 
but in both, the ages of the patriarchs are the same. God was able 
to preserve the lives of the first inhabitants of the earth to any ex- 
tent he pleased. Perhaps the human constitution was more vigor- 
ous at that early period, ere it had been corrupted by coming 
through long and sinful generations. Or God may have intended 
to show, by actual experiment^ that no length of probation would 
evei recover the soul from sm. The experiment then made actually 
proves as much as this, and it is an important lesson to be pondered 
by all men. 



CONYERSATION XI. 

THE DELUGE. — When it occurred. — Bible predictions. — Preparations. — Local or Uni- 
versal in extent. — Evidences of its universality. — Traditions of ancient nations. — Science 
confuting old theories. — No positive traces of the Noachian deluge known. — Previous 
deluges. — Their universality. — Where did the water come from. — Population of the 
Earth. — More numerous than since. — Evidences of this theory. — State of Art. — Capacity 
of the Ark. — What was preserved. — The resting place of the Ark. — Antiquity of 
Chinese, Egyptians, etc. — Moral teachings. 

Father. — We come now to speak of the most remarkable event in 
the natural history of our world : T mean the deluge, in the time of 
Noah. This occurred, according to the received chronology, in the 
year of the world, 1656. We have a prediction of it in the sixth 
chapter of Genesis : " Behold I, even I, do bring a flood of waters 
upon the earth to destroy all flesh wherein is the breath of life, from 
under heaven, and ever^'thing that is in the earth shall die." We 
have an account of the fulfillment of this terrible prediction, in the 
following chapter : " In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the 
seventh month, and seventeenth day of the month, the same day 
were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows 
of heaven were opened ; and the rain was upon the earth forty days 
and forty nights. And the waters increased, and bear up the ark, 
and it was lifted up above the earth. And the Avaters prevailed and 
were increased greatly upon the earth ; and the ark went upon the 
face of the waters ; and all the high hills that were under the whole 
heaven were covered. Fifteen cubits upward did the waters pre- 
vail, and the mountains Avere covered. And all flesh died that 
moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beasts, and 
of ever}' creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every 
man. And Noah alone remained alive, and they that were with 
him in the ark. And the waters prevailed upon the earth one hun- 
dred and fifty days." 

S. — Have we references to this great event in other parts of the 
Bible." 



102 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

F. — Yes, freqiientlv. There is a clear reference to it in Job — a 
book belonging to the patriarchal age, and perhaps the oldest writ- 
ing now in the world. " Hast thou marked the old way which 
wicked men have trodden, which Avere cut down out of time, whose 
foundation was overflown with a flood ? " (Job xxii. 15, 16.) 

Our Savior refers to the destruction of the ungodl}^ in the days 
of Noah, and by it illustrates the more terrible destruction which 
shall come upon the wicked in the last great day : "As were the 
days of Koah, so also shall the coming of the Son of man be. For 
as, in the days that were before the flood, they were eating and 
drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah 
entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took 
them all away ; so also shall the coming of the Son of man be " ' 
(Matt. xxiv. 38). This event is also referred to by the Apostle 
Peter, in predicting the final and general conflagration : " By the 
word of the Lord the heavens were of old, and the earth standing 
out of the water, and in the water; whereby the Avorld that then 
was, being overflowed with water, perished. But the heavens and 
the earth which are now, by the same word are kept in store, re- 
served unto fire against the day of judgment, and perdition of 
ungodh' men" (2 Pet. iii. 5-7). The Scriptures here quoted show, 
that the fact of the deluge does not rest merely on the account in 
Genesis. It appears in other parts of the Bible, — in the teachings 
of our Savior and his Apostles. It is an integral part of the sacred 
history, and can never be set aside so long as the Bible is retained. 

S. — Please give us more particulars as to the coming on of the 
flood, and the preparation that was made for it. 

F. — It was in the five hundredth year of Noah that he was first in- 
formed of the coming flood, and warned to prepare an ark for the 
saving of his house. A hundred years were now granted him for 
the building of the ark, — all which time he was preaching, denounc- 
ing the approaching judgment, and calling in vain upon a thought- 
less world to flee from the wrath to come. Meanwhile, all the 
venerable patriarchs, whose names occur in the fifth chapter of 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 103 

Genesis had passed away. Methuselah, the grandfather of Noah, 
was the last. He died in the first month of the patriarchal year, 
agreeing to our September, aged 969. Early in the next month, 
Noah and his family, and all the creatures that had been collected 
round him, entered into the ark ; and on the seventeenth day the 
flood came. For the next forty days, until near the first of our 
December, the rain continued, and the waters were steadily increas- 
ing upon the earth. They had now reached their highest elevation, 
overtopping, by fifteen cubits, the loftiest mountains. At this point 
they continued for several months, until every living creature on 
the face of the earth had perished. Early in the following March, 
the waters began to abate ; and on the seventeenth day the ark 
rested on the mountains of Ararat. Noah continued in the ark, 
however, through the entire summer, — unto the 27th of October ; 
making his confinement, in all, a little more than a year. 

S. — Do you think the deluge strictly universal? Or was it a 
mere local inundation, covering some parts of western Asia and 
Greece ? 

F. — The Scriptures speak of it as universal. " All the high hills 
that were under the whole heaven were covered," and " all flesh 
died that moved upon the earth." 

aS'. — But the universal language of Scripture is sometimes used 
with limitations ; and why may it not be limited here ? 

F. — The universals of Scripture are sometimes limited by the con- 
nections in which they stand, or by the nature of the subjects to 
which they are applied. Thus it is said of the famine in Egypt in 
the time of Joseph, that " it was over all the face of the earth.''' 
And in Luke it is said that '" a decree went out from Caesar Augus- 
tus, that all the ivorld should be taxed." The connection shows that 
this decree was limited to the Roman world ; and the famine spoken 
of reached only to Egypt and some of the surrounding countries. 
But where there is nothing in the connection or in the nature of 
the subject spoken of to limit the universal language of Scripture, 
let no man presume to limit it. Let it stand as God has written it. 



104 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

in full force and import, whatever hypotheses of our own may fall 
before it. 

Now there is nothing in the connection, or in the subject treated 
of, which should lead us to limit the plain language of Scripture, in 
regard to the universality of the deluge. Such an idea may conflict 
with some of the theories and inventions of men, but I know not 
that it is inconsistent with any of the ascertained facts of science, or 
with any other of the revelations of God. Hence I must regard the 
' narrative in Genesis as establishing the fact of a universal deluge. 

S. — Is the universality of the deluge confirmed by any collateral 
considerations ? 

F. — It is by many. On the supposition that the deluge was only 
a local inundation, extending over south-western Asia, we see not 
why any ark was needed. The beasts and birds, and especially 
birds of passage, might easily have fled before the invading scourge 
to some place of safety. Even Noah and his family, and as many 
others as were so disposed, might have passed rapidly over the 
Caucasian mountains, and escaped. The space allowed between the 
denunciation of the deluge and its infliction would have been amply 
sufficient for such a purpose. 

There is another consideration requiring to be noticed in this 
connection. On supposition that the waters in south-western Asia 
rose high enough to cover to the depth of fifteen cubits all the 
mountains in that mountainous region, — the ancient Imans, the 
lofty Taurus, the Caucasian range, and Ararat itself, towering to 
the height of eighteen thousand feet, what should hinder them from 
spreading over all the earth ? A deluge such as this could not have 
been shut up in a corner. By its flux and reflux, it must neces- 
sarily have reached to every portion of the globe. 

There is yet another consideration which is conclusive on this 
point. It is the promise to Noah when he left the ark, that there 
should no more be a deluge of waters to destroy the earth (Gen. ix. 
15). This promise imports that there should never again be such a 
deluge as had just occurred. But there have been local., partial in- 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 105 

undations in every age ; and if Noali's flood was but a partial inun- 
dation, the promise of God has been often broken We infer, 
therefore, from this solemn promise, thrice repeated, and attested by 
the bow in the cloud, that the deluge from which Noah had just 
escaped was universal. 

aS'. — But if the flood was universal, destroying every living thing, 
and subjecting the human race to the necessity of beginning the 
world anew, springing, as at the first, from a single pair, we might 
expect some traditions of it would remain, especially among the 
ancient nations. Do we find any such traditions ? 

F. — We certainly do. We find them in all parts of the habitable 
earth. In Chaldea, where probably the ark was built ; in Assyria, 
an adjoining country ; among the ancient Persians, Greeks and 
Romans ; in India and China ; and even among the natives of North 
and South America, — everywhere we find traditions of this great 
catastrophe. They all speak, — often grotesquely, but yet plainly, — 
of a universal deluge of waters, brought on by the wickedness of 
man, in which a few only are saved in a vessel or ark. They send 
out birds to see whether the ground is dry, and when they leave 
their vessel, the same things occur as those which are described by 
Moses. The story too, in every instance, is thrown back into the 
earliest times, — the very beginning of the nation's history. Admit 
all these traditions to grow out of the deluge of Noah, and the 
whole is plain ; but if we reject this account of their origin, we need 
a greater miracle than that of the deluge in order to explain them. 

S. — What opinions have prevailed in past ages as to the effect 
of the deluge upon the earth ? 

F. — Until the last sixty or seventy years, it was common for 
theologians and biblical antiquaries to refer nearly all the otherwise 
unaccountable phenomena in the bowels of the earth, or on its sur- 
face, to the action of the deluge. Fossil remains imbedded far down 
in the rocks, the relics of animals and vegetables no longer in exist- 
ence, widely extended coal fields, sea shells on the tops of mount- 
ains, and all such appearances, were supposed to have a com- 



106 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

mon cause in the deluge of Noah ; but the more recent geological 
discoveries have refuted all such theories. They have proved, as 
conclusively as facts can prove anything, that this world has existed 
from a very remote period ; that it was the home of various species 
of animals and vegetables, now extinct, long ages before the crea- 
tion of man; and that organic remains are continually exhumed, 
which could never have been deposited by the deluge of Noah. 

S. — How has that portion of the earth's surface commonly known 
as the drift been regarded ? 

F. — Until a recent period, it was supposed by the most respect- 
able geologists that this portion of the earth's surface, — evidently 
occasioned by the Avashing of water, — might reasonably be ascribed 
to the deluge as its cause ; but later discoveries have led many to 
doubt on this point. In many places, the diluvium or drift seems to 
have been the result of causes more ancient, and of longer contin- 
uance,than the deluge of Noah. Besides, the drift contains few or 
no remains of the bones or the works of men, — a fact hard to be 
accounted for on the supposition that it was deposited by the deluge 
of which we speak. 

S. — Is there evidence that the earth has been washed by more 
than one deluge ? 

F. — Yes ; it has undoubtedly been visited by several deluges, the 
most of which were of much higher antiquity than that of Noah. 
The Scriptures speak expressly of one deluge almost two thousand 
years anterior to Noah, — I mean that which enveloped the earth at 
the commencement of the six days' work of the creation. The 
earth was at that period " Avithout form and void, and darkness was 
upon the face of the deep^ and the Spirit of God moved upon the 
face of the waters ; " importing that the earth was, at that time, 
generally, if not entirely, covered with water. But there had been 
deluges more ancient than this. It Avas water, or perhaps ice formed 
from water, Avhich first abraded the primary rocks, producing the 
dust of the earth, and the materials out of which the stratified rocks 
were formed. And these stratified rocks generally, if not univer- 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 107 

sally, show, in their formation, the action of water. They were, at 
the first, mud, lying at the bottom of seas or lakes, which was after- 
wards petrified and became rock. It was water which smoothed 
and rounded the countless myriads of bowlders, which are either 
imbedded in rocks, or scattered through the crust of the earth, or 
spread abroad upon its surface. It was water which deposited the 
successive layers of sand and gravel, loam and clay, which meet us 
everywhere in the earth, when we have occasion to dig beneath the 
surface. The drift or diluvium of which I have spoken is all of it 
a deposit of water. We encounter it in every sand and gravel hill 
of our country. In short, this American continent seems to have 
been subjected, at some period, to a tremendous rush of waters, 
pouring down from the north, and passing off to the south, abrading 
the mountains, scooping out the valleys, removing and scattering the 
rocks and bowlders, opening beds for the rivers, and smoothing 
down the fertile plains. It is for this reason that most of our great 
mountain ranges, in this country, run in a northerly and southerly 
direction ; almost none of them running from east to west. In 
short, it cannot be doubted that this earth has been washed by re- 
peated deluges, the most of which are of a vastly higher antiquity 
than that of Noah. 

S. — Is it likely that there are any sure marks of the Noachian 
deluge now visible on the earth's surface ? 

F. — Whether there be any such, which the geologist may be able 
to trace and identify., is uncertain. Only a few j^ears ago, it was 
thought by such men as Buckland, Silliman, Hitchcock and others, 
that such traces were distinctly visible ; but more recent inquiries 
have rendered the matter doubtful. No one can pretend to say that 
it may not he so ; while no one can say positively that it is so. In 
other words, no one can point to any particular geological phe- 
nomena, and say positively, These were produced by Noalis flood. 
But whether any definable traces of this flood now remain on the 
earth or not, the analogy of the world's history clearly shows that 
such an event is neither impossible nor improbable. If repeated 



108 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

deluges have swept over the earth in the remoter periods of its 
history, why should it be thought a thing incredible that such an 
event should occur in the time of Noah ? If the geologist can fur- 
nish no certain proof of such an occurrence, he surely can furnish 
none against it ; and when the Bible declares it in the most explicit 
terms, and the traditions of all nations bear witness to it, and the 
analogy of the world's history is rather in its favor than otherwise, 
who shall presume to stand up and say, it is not so? 

S. — But where could water, in sufficient quantities, have come 
from, to deluge the whole earth, and overtop the highest mountains ? 

F. — I do not know where. God could bring to pass such an 
event in a thousand ways. Having made one ocean, he can make 
two, or ten, if he is so disposed. He has all the materials at hand 
for composing water ; and he can compose it, or decompose it, to 
any extent he pleases. 

If this answer does not satisfy you, I would ask. Where did the 
waters of the previous deluges come from ? Where came those dark 
waters on which the Spirit of God moved, at the creation ? Whence 
came those mighty waters which once rolled over this continent 
from north to south, scattering its drift and diluvium everywhere ? 
When these questions have been satisfactorily answered, you will 
have little occasion to trouble yourself further respecting the cause 
and origin of the waters of Noah. 

S. — But it is said, as the deluge was sent in judgment for the 
wickedness of men, it need not have extended further than the 
habitations of men ; and these seem to have been confined to south- 
ern and south-western Asia. 

F. — But how does the objector know that human habitations 
were confined, at that period, to so small a space ? How can he 
render such a supposition probable ? A long time has passed since 
the creation of man — as long, into two centuries, as has intervened 
since the death of Christ. The command was given to the race at 
first, " Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth ; " and 
whatsoever other injunctions may have been broken, we have rea- 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 109 

son to know that this was observed. Now let any one sit down 
and compute, if he can, the probable increase of the race during the 
long period of 1,656 years, when families lived and had sons and 
daughters for hundreds of years together ; and he Avill probably 
be surprised at the result. If the household of Jacob, who went 
down into Egypt, increased there, in two hundred and fifteen years, 
to nearly two millions ; if the first settlers of New England, a small 
company, have increased here, in two hundred and fifty years, till 
the land is full of them ; what must have been the increase of the 
posterity of Adam in the long period of 1,656 years ? My own 
opinion is, that the earth was never so full of inhabitants, as it was 
on the day when Noah entered into the ark. We are expressly told 
that it was filled with violence, and with violence as the result of 
human wickedness. It follows that it must have been filled Avith 
wicked men, and that a deluge, which should destroy them all, must 
have been universal. 

S. — What was the state of the arts among this multitude of 
people ? 

F.-^M^Y own impression is, that the arts, or some of them, were 
never carried to a higher degree of perfection, than at that period : 
else such a structure as the ark could never have been built. Nor 
did a knowledge of the arts perish in the flood. It survived, and 
showed itself in the family of Noah. Hence we find men, soon after 
the flood, engaged in cultivating the earth, in building towers and 
cities, in practicing the arts both of war and peace, just as their 
pride and ingenuity prompted. 

aS^. — Do you think the ark was capable of holding pairs of all the 
different species of fowls and animals, of insects and of creeping 
things, at that time on the earth? Could they have been brought 
together from all parts of the earth to go into it ? Or if they could 
be crowded in, must they not soon have perished, for the want of 
food, light and air? 

F. — I do not think that pairs of literally all the different species 
of fowls and animals, of insects and creeping things on the face ot 



110 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

the earth Avere crowded together into the ark. I think this one of 
the cases in which the universals of Scripture are limited by the 
subjects to which they are applied. To believe the contrary in- 
volves not a miracle only, but an utter impossibility. Without 
doubt, a great multitude of living creatures Avere taken into the ark ; 
perhaps all that Noah knew, or had access to, or that he felt any 
interest in preserving, — all that God intended he should preserve. 

As to a sufficiency of food, light and air within the ark, only a few 
words need be said. If Noah knew enough to build such an ark, 
the presumption is that he knew enough to make provision for 
necessities such as these. Or if Noah did not understand the mat- 
ter, most certainly God did ; and in his directions for building the 
ark, items so important as these would not have been overlooked. 
We are not told, indeed, how this was done ; but that it was done, 
and done effectually, there can be no doubt. The preservation of 
the creatures alive within the ark is full proof of this. 

S. — It is objected to the scriptural account of the deluge, that 
the top of Ararat is no place for the resting of the ark ; it is up in a 
region of perpetual ice and snow; and the mountain is so steep and 
rugged, that Noah, with his family and animals, could never have 
made the descent. 

F. — The Scriptures do not state that the ark rested on the top of 
Ararat ; nor is it certain that it rested on any part of what is noAV 
called Ararat. Jerome informs us that the name Ararat was an- 
ciently given to the whole chain of Armenian mountains. Dr. Shuck- 
ford is of the opinion that the ark rested on some mountain farther 
east. Hence it is said that the descendants of Noah "journeyed from 
the east " to come into the land of Shinar. In the Syrian version it 
is said that the ark rested on the top of mount Cardon. This is in 
the eastern part of the great range of the Taurus ; whereas Ararat 
proper is in the western part. 

aS^. — It is urged, finally, that the histories of some ancient nations 
— the Chinese, the Hindoos, the Chaldeans, and Egyptians — run 
back to a period long anterior to the time of the deluge. 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. Ill 

F. — The chronology of most ancient nations may be divided into 
three parts — ihQ fabulous^ the traditionar 7/, and the historic; the two 
first of which may be passed over as of little account in history. 
The Chinese are an ancient nation, — more ancient, probably, than 
any other now existing ; but that their empire dates back to a 
period beyond the flood, says Mr. Gutzlaff, " is as extravagant as 
any of the mythological stories of the Greeks or Hindoos. They 
have no reliable authentic history before the time of Confucius, 
which was only five hundred and fifty years before Christ." 

Of the Hindoos, the late Dr. Allen says : '' We have no means of 
determining the date of any event, previous to the invasion of 
Alexander the Great, about three hundred and twenty-five years 
before Christ ; " though, previous to this, it is well known that 
India was a partially civilized and populous country. 

The Bible lays the foundation of the Chaldean empire in the 
times of Asshur and Nimrod, from one to two hundred years after 
the flood. No other histor}^ traces it further back than this, or so 
far by several hundred years. 

Egypt was planted soon after the division of the earth, in the days 
of Peleg — about two hundred years after the deluge. We have no 
authentic history of Egypt which ascribes to it a higher antiquity. 

S. — What are some of the lessons taught us in that great and 
terrible catastrophe which has been considered. 

E, — We see in it, first of all, the dreadful depravity of the human 
race. On what other ground than this can it be accounted for, 
that the world should have become so soon and so frightfully 
wicked, — so utterly corrupt, that it repented the Lord that he had 
made it, and it only remained for him to destroy it ? 

This event also teaches, as do many other events in history, 
"both the goodness and the severity of God," — his goodness, in 
bearing so long with ungodly sinners, and favoring them with so 
many mercies ; his severity., in at length lifting the strong hand of 
^lis justice, and sweeping them all away. 

We see also, in the event before us, the faithfulness of God to his 



112 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 



people. Never, either before or since, was the church of God 
brought into such an extremity. Never was it apparently so near 
destruction, and yet it was not destroyed ; it was saved. God's 
word of promise had been pledged to it ; and though heaven and 
earth seemed passing away, not one jot or tittle of that word could 
fail. 

Let us learn, too, from the example of Noah, in this instance, 
the importance of standing up for God and truth, though we may 
be called to standalone. Never was man more sorely tried, or more 
strongly tempted to hold his peace and follow a multitude to do evil, 
than Noah must have been, for the last hundred years before the 
flood. His ease, his worldly comfort, his credit, his property, every- 
thing dear to him was at stake, and all were urging him together to 
stop his preaching, to suspend his work upon the ark, and follow in 
the course of an evil, gainsaying world. But no ; he had received 
a message from God, and he must proclaim it. He must stand up 
for truth and right, though earth and hell opposed. And the 
sequel proved that the path of duty was to him, as it is to every 
one, the path of safety. God took care of him, preserved and 
blessed him, and when the whelming' ruin came, he and his family 
were safe. 



CONVERSATION XII. 

EVENTS FOLLOWING THE DELUGE.— Noah's first work.— First permission to take 
the life of animals and eat their flesh. — Blood prohibited. — The death penalty for mm- 
der. — The rainbow. — Was this its first appearance. — Noah's history. — His sons. — Where 
they settled. — Occupation. — Tower of Babel. — Confusion of tongues. — The original lan- 
guage. — Site of Babel. — Ancient historians. 

Son. — What was tlie first work of Noah after leaving the ark ? 

Father. — It was to build an altar unto the Lord, and offer upon it 
a burnt sacrifice, — full proof that the institution of bloody sacrifices 
had been continued all along through the antediluvian ages, point- 
ing believing worshipers to the great atoning sacrifice Avhich, in the 
fullness of time, was to be offered for the sins of the world. 

S. — ^^Vas Noah's offering accepted ? 

F. — It was, and was followed by the richest promises to the 
patriarch and his posterity. '' I will not again curse the ground for 
man's sake, neither will I any more smite every living thing, as I 
have done." And " God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto 
them. Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth ; and the 
dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every 
fowl of the air, and upon all the fishes of the sea. Every moving 
thing that liveth shall be meat unto you. Even as the green herb, 
have I given you all things (Gen. ix. 1-3). 

S. — Was not a new grant here made to the human family, as to a 
subsistence ? 

F. — There was — a permission to take the life of animals, and to 
eat their flesh. The antediluvians had no permission from God to 
eat flesh. Their sustenance was to be the herb of the field (Gen. 
i. 29). 

S. — Aside from this grant, should we have no right to take the 
life of animals ? 

F. — Except in self-preservation, or for self-defense, it might no< 
be easy to vindicate the right. What right have we to kill inoffen- 
sive animals, merely for our own pleasure, or for the sake of their 

8 



114 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

flesh, unless we have a special grant from God ? It would hardly 
satisfy us to plead our liking for their flesh, or the right of the 
stronger against the weaker. 

S. — In the grant to take the life of animals, why was their blood 
prohibited ? 

F. — Moses does not give a reason in this place, but he does in 
another. " The life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it 
to you upon the altar, to make an atonement for your souls ; for it 
is the blood that maketh atonement for the soul " (Lev. xvii. 10, 11). 

S. — The death penalty was now affixed to the crime of murder ; 
had it never been exacted before ? 

F. — So far as Ave know, it had not been. Cain was not put to 
death for his murder ; and neither was Lamech (Gen. iv. 24). And 
this laxity of law may be one of the reasons why the earth, at that 
time, was filled with violence. But now God says: "At the hand 
of every man's brother will I require the life of man. Whoso shed- 
deth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed" (Gen. ix. 6)» 
This regulation Avas not a Jewish one, intended only for that peo- 
ple ; for it was given hundreds of years before the Jews, as a 
distinct people, had an existence. Uttered now, at the very reor- 
ganization of the world, it Avas intended obviously for the race. It 
is to be regarded as of universal and perpetual obligation. 

S. — God now established a covenant Avitli Noah and his posterity, 
a: id set his boAV in the cloud as a token of his coA^enant. Are Ave 
to understand that the raiuboAv had never been seen before ? 

F. — Perhaps not. If there Avere clouds and rain before the flood, 
I think it must have been seen occasionally. But a ncAV significance 
was noAV given to the rainboAV. " I do aiopoint my boAV in the cloud, 
and it shall be a token of the covenant betAveen me and the earth." 

aS'. — HoAV long did Noah and his sons dAvell near the place Avhere 
they had left the ark ? 

F. — We do not knoAv precisely. Probably not less than twenty 
years. It Avas here that the good man planted a vineyard, and 
drank too freely of the Avine thereof, and exposed himself to 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 115 

the derision of a son and grandson. Canaan, a son of Ham, born 
after the flood, was now old enough to be joined with his father in 
the curse, as, in all probability, he had been in the transgression. 
"Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his 
brethren." 

S. — What do we hear of Noah, after this. 

F, — Absolutely nothing ; except that he lived three hundred and 
fifty years, — almost to the time of Abraham. In the opinion of 
some, he did not migrate with his sons to the land of Shinar, but 
remained in the East, had another family, and that China, and per- 
haps some other eastern countries, were settled directly by him. 
This supposition, if admitted, will account for the utter silence of 
Scripture respecting Noah, during the last three hundred years of 
his life. It accounts also for the early settlement of some oriental 
countries. China seems to have been settled as early as Egypt ; 
and yet we have no account of its having been so early reached by 
any of the descendants of Shem, Ham, or Japheth. 

S, — But is it not said of the three sons of Noah, that "by them 
was the whole earth overspread ? " 

F. — It is ; but then the word earth, in this passage, may refer 
only to the historical earth — those portions with which Moses was 
acquainted, and which are mentioned in other parts of the sacred 
history. 

S. — To what country did the three sons of Noah, at length, mi- 
grate ? Where did they establish themselves ? 

F. — As I have said before, it was in the valley of the Tigris, the 
land of Shinar. It was in this country that the human race was 
first planted. It was in this vicinity, somewhere, that the ark was 
built. Hence when Shem, Ham, and Japheth came again into this 
fertile and beautiful valley, they found themselves at home. The 
flood, no doubt, had made some changes, but it had left many 
familiar objects. Here were the old rivers, the extended plain, the 
valley, perhaps, in which they were born. 

S. — How did the emigrants employ themselves in their new abode ? 



116 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

F. — Their first labor was to cultivate the soil, and prepare habit- 
ations for themselves and their families. But as years rolled on, 
and their numbers Avere multiplied, they projected a great public 
undertaking. That they might get to themselves a name, and pre- 
vent the possibility of their being scattered, or destroyed by another 
flood, they resolved to build a city, and a tower whose top should 
reach even unto heaven (Gen. xi. 4). So they set themselves, with 
all their might, to build what was afterwards called the tower of 
Babel. 

S. — Were they sufficiently numerous, at this time, to engage in 
such an undertaking? 

F. — I suppose they were. The work was not commenced until 
about two hundred years after the flood, when their posterity may 
have amounted to thousands, perhaps millions. They had a knowl- 
edge of the arts after the flood, as they had before, and were com- 
petent every way to undertake the work which the Holy Spirit has 
ascribed to them. 

S. — How did God regard this great undertaking ? 

F. — He was displeased with it, and took measures to frustrate it. 
Instead of dwelling together, and rallying round a great central city 
and tower, God designed that the human family should be sepa- 
rated — scattered abroad over the face of the earth ; and in order to 
accomplish his purpose, and defeat their own, he took the wisest 
measure possible. He " came down and confounded their language, 
so that they could not understand one another's speech." 

S. — How are we to interpret the words here used ? 

F. — Various interpretations have been put upon them ; but the 
meaning, as it seems to me, is very obvious. God gave the human 
family a language at the first. It was not a thing of human inven- 
tion, but the gift of God. He adapted the human organs to the 
use of a language, and he gave a language, undoubtedly, to the first 
human pair ; so that Adam and Eve could converse together, and 
converse with God, and teach their children to talk, as we do ours. 
And the Being Avho gave a language, could easily change it, or, as 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. Ill 

the Scriptures say, confound it. He could cause those who all their 
lives had used a particular language to forget it instantly, and to 
speak another. The change here experienced was very like to that 
which Avas Avrought on the Apostles at the day of Pentecost. They 
were endowed instantly with the gift of tongues, or with ability to 
converse in languages which they had not learned. The Apostles 
did not indeed, like those at Babel, forget their former tongues, but 
they received the greater gift of speaking in new tongues. 

aS'. — What do you suppose was the original language, that first 
spoken by the human race ? 

F. — I know not that this question can be answered positively ; 
and yet I have a strong impression that the original language was 
the Hebrew. In support of this opinion, I will urge but a single 
fact. The proper names of most of the antediluvians are Hebrew — 
derived from Hebrew roots, and having Hebrew significations. 
Thus Adam, in Hebrew, signifies red earth; because it was from 
such earth that the body of the first man was formed. So Eve sig- 
nifies, in Hebrew, living^ or life-giving ; because she was the mother 
of all living. Cain signifies a possession., an acquisition ; because his 
mother said at his birth, " I have gotten a man from the Lord." 
Abel signifies mourning^ sorrow ; because of the sorrow of his parents 
perhaps for their sins, or for their hard labor in subduing the earth. 
Seth signifies something ^:>zf/, or substituted ; because Seth was given 
in the place of Abel who had been killed. I might proceed in this 
way, and define most of the antediluvian names. Now it is very 
improbable that these names were translated into Hebrew from 
some other language. And if they were not translated ; if they 
Avere originally AAdiat tliey noAv are : in other Avords, if the original 
name of Adam Avas Adam., and of Ea'c, Eve., and so of the rest ; then 
it is quite certain that the original, primeA'al language Avas Hebrew. 
This language seems to liaA'e descended to God's chosen people in 
the line of Shem ; as all the Sliemitic languages, to this day, are 
but derivatives^ offslioots^ from the original HebreAA^ 

S. — Do Ave not haA'e a stronof- confirmation of this account of the 



118 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

early confounding of languages in the subsequent history of the 
world ? 

F. — We certainly do. The languages now spoken among men 
are numerous, and variously diversified. The most of them are de- 
rivative languages, borrowed one from another. Yet a few seem to 
have been originally distinct. But the elements, the laws, the 
general structure and principles of language are everywhere the 
same — a fact pointing us back to a period when there was but one 
language, as the Scriptures represent. 

S, — Where was the Tower of Babel situated ? 

jP. — Undoubtedly on the site of the ancient Babylon. Indeed 
the first builders of Babylon seem to have carried out, so far as 
they were able, the original design of the builders of Babel. They 
enclosed the tower with a wall, and built up a magnificent city 
around it. It stood on the Euphrates, in north latitude 36°. The 
remains of the tower were long visible, and may be even to this 
day. They are expressly spoken of by Berosus, Herodotus, and 
other ancient historians. 



CONVERSATION XIII. 

ORIGIN OF NATIONS.— The dispersion.— Tribes and families of one tongue.— Nations 

in the the line of Japheth. — Portious of the earth populated by his descendants. — The 
children of Shem and who they are. — Egypt and Arabia peopled by the children of Ham. 
— The desire for conquest. — Rise and fall of nations. — Importance of the book of Genesis. 

Son. — When the language of the Babel builders had been con- 
founded, so that they could no longer have intercourse one with 
another, they began to disperse and to be scattered abroad. In 
what Avay was their dispersion effected ? 

Father.— It was not done accidentally or promiscuously. There 
was order and method in their dispersion. They are said to have 
been settled " after their tongues, and after their families, in their 
nations" (Gen. x. 5). In the confounding of tongues, it is likely 
that the members of each large family or tribe had a tongue by 
themselves. They could understand one another, but could not 
understand the men of another tribe. This would separate the dif- 
ferent families or tribes, while it kept the members of each particu- 
lar tribe together. 

aS'. — Which was the eldest of Noah's sons ? 

F. — Japheth was the eldest. Ham was the youngest (Gen. ix. 
25) ; and Japheth w^as older than Shem (Gen. x. 21). 

aS*. — Who Avere the sons of Japheth, and where were they settled ? 

F. — Japheth had seven sons, viz.^ Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, 
Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. The family of Gomer is supposed to 
have established themselves in the ancient Phrygia, bordering on the 
Hellespont, the sea of Marmora, and the Black Sea. From Magog 
descended the Scythians and modern Tartars, inhabiting northern 
and central iVsia. Madai was the father of the Medes, inhabiting 
a country lying south of the Caspian sea. From Javan descended 
the lonians, or Greeks. The settlement of Meshech lay east of 
that of Gomer, on the south-eastern shore of the Black sea. The 
settlement of Tubal was farther east, between those of Meshech 



120 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

and Madai, and between the Black and Caspian seas. Tiras set- 
tled what was afterwards called, from his name, Thrace. 

It will be seen that five of these sons of Japheth are supposed to 
have settled in Central Asia, near the Black and Caspian seas, 
and in regions north and east of them. Here they multiplied and 
spread themselves for a time, all speaking the same language. But 
owing to the severity of the climate, or to some other cause, a por- 
tion of them resolved to emigrate. They passed down into south- 
ern Asia, and then eastward into India, driving out most of the 
original inhabitants, and taking possession of the country. Mean- 
while, another portion of the same great family migrated from their 
seats in Central Asia, and took possession of northern and western 
Europe. In this way we account for the similarity between the 
Aryan and some European languages. There is no evidence that 
any of this great family who went into India returned ; nor is such 
a supposition necessary, in order to account for the similarities of 
language which have been observed. 

S. — What do we know as to the settlements of the grandchildren 
of Japheth? 

F. — Of his grandchildren, Moses mentions only two families, viz.., 
those of Gomer and Javan. The sons of Gomer were Ashkenaz, 
Riphath, and Togarmah. The sons of Javan were Elisha, Tarshish, 
Kittim, and Dodanim. " By these," says the sacred writer, " were 
the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands." By these, was 
southern and Central Europe peopled. Ashkenaz gave his name to 
what is now the Black sea. It was called by the Greeks the sea of 
Axenos, or the Axene sea ; from whence it came to be called the 
Euxine or Black sea. Tarshish gave his name to what is now the 
Mediterranean sea. The ships of Tarshish, of which we hear so 
much, were ships that sailed on the Mediterranean.* Germany is 
thought to have received its name from Gomer. 

S, — Who were the sons of Shem, and where did they reside ? 



*There was doubtless, some port, perhaps more than one, called Tarshish ; but this name 
Jilso belonged to the sea. See Ps. xlviii. 7. 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 121 

E. — Shem had five sons, viz.^ Elam, Ashur, Arphaxad, Lud, and 
Aram. Elam was the father of the ancient Persians. Ashur set- 
tled Assyria ; and from him the country received its name. Ar- 
phaxad seems to have remained with his father in the land of 
Shinar. He was the ancestor of Abraham. Josephus assigns Lud 
to Lydia; but of this there is some doubt. The descendants of 
Aram settled Syria and Armenia. From Aram the name Armenia 
is thought to be derived. 

S. — What is said of Shem's grandchildren ? 

F. — Of the grandchildren of Shem, as of Japheth, only two fami- 
lies are mentioned, viz.^ those of Arphaxad and Aram. Arphaxad 
begat Salah, and Salah begat Eber, from whom the Hebrews took 
their name. Eber had two sons, Peleg and Joktan. In the time 
of Peleg, the languages of men were confounded, and the earth w^as 
divided, — about two hundred years after the flood. Joktan had 
thirteen sons, who all migrated eastward. It is not unlikely that 
the original inhabitants of India, and of all south-eastern Asia, were 
the descendants of Joktan. The name of one of Joktan's sons was 
Ophir; and the probability is that Ophir, the ancient land of gold, 
was in south-eastern Asia. 

Aram, another of the sons of Shem, had four sons, viz.^ Uz, Hull, 
Gether, and Mash, — all of whom settled in the country before 
assigned to Aram, viz.^ Syria and Armenia. Uz is thought to have 
founded the city of Damascus — ^probably the oldest city now on the 
earth. 

S. — The sons of Ham, — who were they, and where did they plant 
themselves? 

F. — Ham had four sons, viz.^ Cush, Mizraim, Phut, and Canaan. 
Cush first lived east of the Euphrates, near its mouth, and his coun- 
try was watered by the ancient Gihon. He afterwards migrated 
into southern Arabia, and then over the red sea into Africa. Cush 
had six sons, viz.^ Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, Sabtechah, and 
Nimrod. The first five of them settled with their father in Arabia 
and Africa, and are called in our Bibles, Ethiopians. They were a 



122 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

colored race, which spread themselves over the greater part of Africa. 
Nimrod seems not to have left the land of Shinar. " He was a mighty 
hunter before the Lord, and the beginning of his kingdom was Ba- 
bel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calnah." He was a warrior as well 
as hunter, and a leader in the mad project of building the tower of 
Babel. Hence Babel is called the beginning of his kingdom. 

Egypt was early settled by Mizraim, and his seven sons ; perhaps, 
also, by his father Ham. Egypt is called " the land of Ham " (Ps. 
cv. 23.) 

The descendants of Phut are supposed to have migrated into 
Africa, and to have settled Lybia. The descendants of Canaan 
were the original Canaanites, who were dispossessed by the Israel- 
ites, when they came out of Egypt. 

S. — Which family of the descendants of Noah were at the first 
the most powerful ; and how did they severally prosper ? 

F. — The children of Ham seem to have been most powerful, at 
the first. Nimrod ruled, for a time, Chaldea or the land of Shinar ; 
also in Arabia, Egypt, Ethiopia, and Canaan ; the sons of Ham had 
powerful kingdoms. 

But at length, the Shemites began to distinguish themselves and 
to prevail. Persia, Assyria, Syria, Armenia, and portions of India 
were settled by the sons of Shem. At length, they drove out the 
posterity of Ham from Arabia and Canaan, and possessed those 
countries. From this period, the Hamites have been confined 
chiefly to Africa. 

But in later times the children of Japheth have distinguished 
themselves above all others. Greece, Rome, Germany, France, 
Spain, England, — nearly all Europe, northern Asia, and a large part 
of India, have been peopled by the descendants of Japheth. God 
has greatly enlarged Japheth, and caused him to dwell in the tents 
of Shem (Gen. ix. 27). 

S. — These chapters of Genesis, over which we have passed, though 
seeming, at first, like a dry list of names, are really a very import- 
ant part of the sacred history. 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 123 

F. — They are so indeed ; and more than this, they contain the 
seeds of all history. More reliable knowledge of the different races 
of men, of the origin of nations, of the early settlement of the earth, 
— more true ethnology^ may be gathered from these chapters, than 
from all ancient history besides. 



CONVERSATION XIV. 

ABRAHAM TO HIS SEPARATION FROM LOT.— Birth of Abraham.— When and 
where. — Family connections. — Marries his half sister. — First call. — Its object. — Second 
call and the promise. — Particulars of his journey to Canaan. — Damascus is passed. — 
A disreputable act. — Sarah's beauty. — Pharaoh sharply reproves Abraham. — Cause of 
Lot and Abraham's separation. — Selfishness of Lot. 

Father. — The chapters in Genesis over which we have passed may 
be regarded as introductory to the life of Abraham, in whose family 
God was about to establish his visible church. It will give me- 
pleasure to reply to any of your questions respecting this venerable 
man of God. 

Son. — ^Can you tell us when and where Abraham was born ? 

F. — He was in the tenth generation from Noah, in the line of 
Shem, and was born three hundred and fifty-two years after the 
flood. The place of his birth was '' Ur of the Chaldees," — the same 
as the modern Orfa, now one of the stations of the American Board 
of Missions. By the Greeks the place was called Edessa, and was 
the capital of king Agiarus, who was an early convert to the faith 
of Christ. 

The modern city lies on the edge of one of those rugged spurs 
which descend from the mountains of Armenia into the Assyrian 
plains. The place is easily, almost naturally, fortified ; and besides, 
it is blessed with an abundant spring of the purest water, which 
makes the spot an oasis — a paradise in the Chaldean wilderness. In 
this beautiful city, from which, even now, the traveler turns reluc- 
tantly away, the patriarch Abraham was born, and spent the earlier 
portion of his life. 

S. — What were his immediate family connections? 

F. — His father Terah had three sons, whose names are given in 
the Bible, viz.: Haran, Nahor, and Abraham. Haran was sixty 
years older than Abraham, and died in Ur, leaving two daughters 
and a son. The daughters were Milcah and Iscah; the son's name 
was Lot. Milcah was married to her uncle Nahor ; and some have 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 125 



thouglit that Iscah was but another name for Sarah, the wife of 
Abraham. But this contradicts the account of Abraham himself, 
who makes Sarah to be a half sister, the daughter of Terah by a 
second wife. "She is the daughter of my father, but not the daugh- 
ter of my mother " (Gen. xx. 12). 

S. — Why was Abraham and his family called to remove from Ur ? 

F. — It was on account of the prevailing idolatry, which had 
infected even the family of Terah. It was while he dwelt at Ur 
that he received his first call from God to leave the land of his 
nativity, and go into a foreign country. The object of the call un- 
doubtedly was, to separate him and his immediate household from 
the contamination of idols, and thus preserve and perpetuate the 
knowledge of the true God in the earth. 

S. — How was the call for a removal made known to Abraham ? 

F. — We are not informed. We only know that it was an intelli- 
gible call, so much so as to satisfy, not only Abraham, but the 
other members of the family ; for they all listened to it, — Terah, 
Nahor and his wife, Abraham and his wife, and Lot, — and removed, 
at once, to a place which (in honor of the eldest son and brother of 
the family, now deceased) they called Haran. It is sometimes 
called, in Scripture, Padan-Aram. Here the family dwelt together 
until the death of Terah, at the advanced age of two hundred and 
five. 

S, — When did Abraham receive his second call for a removal into 
the land of Canaan ? 

F, — Soon after the death of his father, when he was seventy-five 
years old. The call in this instance was very positive : " Get thee 
out from thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's 
house, into a land which I will show thee, and I will make of thee 
a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great ; and 
in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed." 

With this requisition, as in the former case, Abraham hesitated 
not to comply. He believed God, and obeyed him. Leaving be- 
hind his brother Nahor and family, he took his wife, and Lot, his 



126 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

brother's son, and all the substance that they had gathered in 
Haran, consisting of servants, flocks and herds, — and departed to 
go into the land of Canaan. 

S. — In what direction was Canaan from his present home? 

F. — It was far to the south and west. Canaan was thinly in- 
habited, at this time, by the descendants of Canaan, a son of Ham. 
The Canaanites were mostly idolaters ; and yet the knowledge of 
the true God was not entirely lost among them. Melchizedek and 
several others with whom Abraham had intercourse, seem to have 
worshiped the same God as himself. 

S. — How long was he on the journey, and what we e some of the 
incidents of it ? 

F, — We are not particularly informed. It is thought that he 
touched at Damascus; and the fact that his most trusty servant, 
years afterwards, was called " Eliezar of Damascus," gives color to 
this supposition. Being under the special guidance and blessing of 
heaven, his path was undoubtedly made plain and safe to him. He 
arrived first at the plain of Morah, near to Sichem, — the same which 
was afterwards Samaria. Here he encamped for some considerable 
time, and builded an altar unto the Lord. Here the Lord appeared 
unto him, and gave him a promise, that the land to which he had 
come should be given to his posterity for a possession. 

/S'.^What were Abraham's subsequent removals ? 

F. — From Sichem he removed into what was afterwards Mount 
Ephraim, and pitched his tent between Bethel and Hai. Here he 
also builded an altar, and called on the name of the Lord. From 
Bethel, Abraham proceeded southward through what was after- 
wards the land of Judah; but encountering a grievous famine, he 
was constrained to go into Egypt for bread. He found a Pharaoh 
on the throne, at the head of an organized government. The 
Egyptians, however, were a scattered and weak people, compared 
with what they came to be afterwards. 

S. — What did Abraham do in Egypt that was discreditable to 
him? 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 127 



F. — He denied his wife. Sarah was a beautiful woman ; and 
Abraham feared to be known as her husband, lest the king, or some 
of his courtiers, should destroy him for her sake ; and so he passed 
himself off as her brother, and persuaded her to be to him as a sister. 
She was, indeed, his half-sister, as I have before said — 'Hhe daugh- 
ter of his father, but not of his mother." Still, there was an equivo- 
cation practiced, a crooked inconsistent policy pursued, a manifest 
Avant ot faith in God, which was altogether unworthy of Abraham,, 
and which might be expected to involve the parties in trouble. 
And so the event very shortly proved; for Pharaoh, being pleased 
with the lady, and understanding her to be the sister of Abraham, 
sent and took her to himself. He also treated Abraham well for 
her sake, and made him presents of sheep and oxen, man-servants, 
and maid-servants, camels and asses. But Pharaoh was not long 
deceived in regard to the true relation between Sarah and Abraham. 
He learned that she was the stranger's wife ; and so, sending for 
Abraham, he sharply reproved him, and sent him. away. 

S. — In what circumstances did Abraham leave Egypt ? 

F. — He had been greatly prospered there, and had become very 
rich, in cattle, in silver, and in gold. He returned through the 
southern part of Canaan ; and, coming to his former residence be 
tween Bethel and Hai, he repaired the altar which he had formerly 
built, and devoutly called on the name of the Lord. 

S, — Up to this time, Abraham and Lot had dwelt together. 
What led them now to separate ? 

F. — Their substance had so much increased, and their circum- 
stances were so changed, that they found it inconvenient to live to- 
gether any longer. Their cattle mingled, their herdsmen quarreled, 
and their flocks, when together, required a wider extent of pastur- 
age than they could reasonably claim in a land of strangers. In 
this emergency, Abraham took Lot aside, stated the case to him, 
and kindly proposed that he should make choice of a place of settle- 
ment for himself. " Is not the whole land before thee ? Separate 
thyself, I pray thee, from me. If thou Avilt take the left hand, then 



128 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

I will go to the right ; or if thou depart to the right, then I will go 
to the left." 

S. — How did Lot treat this generous proposal ? In what direc- 
tion did he go ? 

F. — He decided to remove to the fertile regions of the east and 
south. Perceiving the valley of the Jordan that it was well 
watered, even as the land of Egypt, or the garden of the Lord, he 
resolved to go and settle there. Proceeding gradually down this 
fertile valley, he came, at length, to the plain of Sodom, before the 
cities built upon it had been destroyed. 



CONVERSATION XY. 

ABRAHAM TILL THE FORMATION OF A CHURCH IN HIS FAMILY.— Expedi- 
tion of the Four Kings. — Capture of Sodom and Gomorrah. — Lot and Family among 
the prisoners. — Abraham to the rescue. — Victory. — Abraham's generosity. — Melchize- 
dek. — Who and what he was. — Without father or mother. — Neither beginning of days 
nor end of life. — Jerusalem before the Jews. — Relations between God and Abraham. — 
Sarah's expedient. — Result of unbelief. — Ishmael. — ^A church established. — Significance 
qf circumcision. — Piety of Abraham. 

Son. — We have pursued the life of Abraham until the time of 
Lot's separation from him. Where did he then go? 

Father. — He journeyed southward to the plains of Mamre, not far 
from the ancient city of Hebron, and here, as was his invariable 
custom, he built an altar unto the Lord. He formed an acquaint- 
ance too, and an alliance, with some of the principal inhabitants of 
the place, — with Mamre, from whom the locality derived its name, 
and with his two brothers, Aner and Eshcol. 

S. — What sad event took place in that vicinity, in those times ? 

F. — Four confederate kings or chieftains, from the land of Shinar 
and of Elam — that old cradle of the human race — sallied forth on a 
war of conquest. They swept over the intervening countries, con- 
quered the Amorites and Amalekites in northern Arabia, and came 
to a pitched battle with the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah and 
others who were confederate with them. In this battle, the kings 
of the East were victorious ; Sodom and Gomorrah and the neigh- 
boring cities were taken ; and all the people, — among whom were 
Lot and his family, — were carried away captives. When the news of 
this disaster reached Abraham, he was greatly distressed by it, par- 
ticularly at the fate of Lot ; and he resolved to attempt his recov- 
ery. He armed his own servants, three hundred and eighteen men ; 
he enlisted his confederates, Mamre, Aner, and Eshcol ; and by long 
and forced marches, he overtook the freebooters at a place in Syria, 
called Dan.* He came upon them by surprise, in the night, and 
smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is nigh to Damas- 

*Not Dan in the land of Israel, but a much older citv in Syria. 2 Sam. xxiv. 6. 
9 



130 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

cus. This expedition, which involved a march of from three to four 
hundred miles, was entirely successful. Abraham recovered and 
brought back all the spoil which the conquering kings had taken. 
He brought back Lot also, and all his goods, and all the captives, 
male and female. 

S. — Who came out to meet Abraham, on his return with the 
captives ? 

F. — One of them was the subdued and humbled king of Sodom. 
And he said unto Abraham, " Give me the persons, and take the 
goods to thyself." But Abraham declined the offer, saying, " I 
have lifted up my hand unto the Lord, the most High God, the 
possessor of heaven and earth, that I would not take anything that 
was thine, — not so much as a thread or a shoe-latchet, — lest thou 
shouldst say, I have made Abraham rich." Another great person- 
age, who came out to congratulate Abraham on his victory, was 
Melchizedek. 

S. — Who was this Melchizedek ? What was he ? 

F. — I have no doubt that he was, just what he is represented to 
be in the fourteenth chapter of Genesis, — king of Salem, a city 
which was afterwards called Jerusalem, and also a priest of the Most 
High God. He united in himself, — as did the more ancient patri- 
archs generally, — the offices of king and priest. He brought forth 
bread and wine to refresh the conquerors, after their long and weary 
march. He also blessed Abraham in the name of the Most High 
God, and in consideration of his sacred as well as royal character, 
Abraham gave him tithes of all that he possessed. 

S. — How are we to understand what is said of Melchizedek in 
the Epistle to the Hebrews, that he " was without father, without 
mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end 
life" (Heb. vii. 3)? 

F. — I acquiesce in the opinion of the most judicious interpreters, 
that this is true, not literally, but genealogically. The Jews made 
much of their genealogies. Every one must have his genealogy, 
and must be able to find his place in it. He who could not point 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 131 

to the name of his father and mother, to his origin and descent in 
the genealogies, was said to have none. He whose birth and 
death could not be indicated was said to have no beginning of days, 
or end of life. And all this was true of Melchizedek. He bursts 
upon us suddenly, unexpectedly in the history, and then disappears 
forever from our sight. He had no genealogy, so far as we know, 
and so far as Moses knew. Genealogicallj^ speaking, he was with- 
out father, mother or descent, without beginning of days, or end of 
life. 

S. — What relations and intercourse subsisted between God and 
Abraham in these times ? 

F. — Abraham had frequent and delightful communion with God. 
He had frequent visions and revelations from God. God oft re- 
peated his promise of a numerous posterity, and that they should 
inherit the land to which he had come. He predicts, indeed, that 
previous to the fulfillment of this promise, his children would be 
brought into circumstances of great trial and affliction. " Thy 
seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and they shall 
afflict them four hundred years. But that nation whom they shall 
serve will I judge, and afterward they shall come out with great 
substance. But thou shalt go to thy grave in peace." 

S. — For the greater assurance of Abraham, what farther was God 
pleased to do ? 

F. — He confirmed his promises to Abraham by a solemn cove- 
nant, after the most ancient form of covenanting. " Take me a 
heifer three years old, and a she-goat three years old, and a ram 
three years old, and a turtle-dove, and a young pigeon, and when 
thou hast slain them, divide them in the midst, and lay the pieces 
one over against another." Between the severed pieces Abraham 
is supposed to have passed, to denote his acceptance of the cove- 
nant. And when the sun went down, the Lord also passed between 
them, in the appearance of a smoking furnace and a burning lamp. 

This is the most ancient form of ratifying a covenant of which 
we have any knowledge. We have a similiar form in the Iliad of 



132 COyVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

Homer.* The parties passing between the severed pieces of the 
slaughtered victims were understood to invoke the most terrible 
judgments on themselves, in case they proved unfaithful. The lan- 
guage of the transaction was virtually this : " As the bodies of these 
animals are cut asunder, so may our bodies be mutilated, in case 
we prove perfidious." 

S. — How did Sarah regard God's promise of a numerous pos- 
terity ? 

F. — Her faith began to fail, at least so far as she was concerned. 
She was still childless, and had no prospect of ever being a mother. 
In her anxiety on the subject, she came to her husband with a 
strange proposal. She had in her household an Egyptian maid- 
servant named Hagar, — probably one of those which Pharaoh gave 
to her when she came out of Egypt, — and she proposed to her hus- 
band to take Hagar to his bed. "It may be that I may obtain 
children by her. And Abraham listened to the voice of Sarah." 

S. — And what was the result of this expedient ? 

F. — As it originated in unbelief, it soon began to bring forth the 
bitter fruits of sin. Hagar was no longer the quiet, submissive 
servant that she had been. She began to be lifted up with pride, 
and to despise her mistress ; and this provoked Sarah to treat her 
harshly and cruelly. In consequence of such treatment, Hagar fled 
from her mistress, probably with a design of returning into Egypt. 
She was found by a fountain of water in the wilderness on the way 
to Shur. Here the angel of the Lord appeared to her, promised 
her a son and a numerous posterity, told her what kind of charac- 
ter her son would be, and encouraged her to return and submit her- 
self to her mistress. Accordingly she did return, and brought forth 
a son, to whom the angel had ah'eady given the name of Ishmael. 

>S'. — Where was Abraham's home at this period ? 

F. — It was for many years at Mamre. A prince and a shepherd, 
he lived at ease, honored and beloved by all his acquaintance, with 
his numerous flocks and his household around him. But when he 



*lliad, Book iii., line 388. 



CONVERSATIOXS OX THE BIBLE. 133 

was ninety and nine years old, tlie Lord appeared again to him, 
renewed to him and to his posterity the promise of Canaan, and 
assnred liim that he shonkl have a numerous seed in the lines not 
only of Hagar and Ishmael, hut of Sarah. " Sarah also shall have 
a son, and I Avill bless her. She shall be a mother of nations, and 
kings shall spring of her."' 

S. — What great design did God propose and accomplish at this 
time ? 

F. — The formation of a vi%ihle churcli in the family of Abraham, 
of which he was to be the patriarchal head. The world was fast 
relapsing into idolatry. Men '* did not like to retain God in their 
knowledge," and the true God Avhom they had rejected was about 
to reject them. He was about to give them up, as Paul expresses 
it, "to vile affections," and ''to a reprobate mind." Still, God will 
have a covenant people on the earth ; and his original design, as 
I have before said, in calling Abraham from the land of his nativity, 
and bringing him into Canaan, was to save him and his house from 
the contamination of idols, and preserve the true religion in his 
family. This was the object of all the trials to which he had been 
subjected, and of the revelations and promises wliich, from time to 
time, "had been made to him. And now, when he was almost a hun- 
dred years old, the great design Avas to be consummated. Accord- 
ingly, God says to him : '• I am the Almighty God ; walk before me, 
and be thou perfect. And I Avill establish my covenant between me 
and thee, and thy seed after thee in their generations, to he a God 
to tJiee^ and to thy seed after thee. And this is my covenant which 
ye shall keep between me and thee, and thy seed after thee : Every 
man child among you shall he circumcised. Ye shall circumcise the 
flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be a tohen of the covenant be- 
twixt me and you. He that is eight days old among you shall be 
circumcised, every man-child in your generations ; and nw cove- 
nant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. And the 
imcircumcised man-child, whose flesh of his foreskin is not circum- 
cised, shall be cut off from his people. He hath broken my cove 



134 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

nant." " And Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all that were 
born in his house, or bought with his money — every male among 
the servants of Abraham, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin 
in the self-same day, as God had said unto him. And Abraham 
was ninety and nine years old when he was circumcised " (Gen. 
Chap. xvii). 

aS'. — Are we sure that we understand aright the significance of 
this transaction? 

F. — After the explanation of it in other parts of the Bible, more 
especially in the writings of Paul, the design and import of it can 
hardly be mistaken. God here propounds a covenant to Abraham 
and to his household, into which they enter. A visible token is 
appended to the covenant, which all the males of the family receive. 
They are thus constituted God's visible covenant people — in other 
words, his church. Hence, from this- time, God begins to speak of 
the posterity of Abraham, or such of them as adhered to the cove- 
nant, as his people^ and to speak of himself as their covenant God. 

S. — What is the significance of circumcision? What does the 
rite import ? 

F. — It imports the cutting off from the heart of all carnal affec- 
tions ; in other words, the circumcision of the hearty which is the 
same as regeneration. Thus the command, " Circumcise the fore- 
skin of your heart," is equivalent to another Divine command, 
" Make you a new heart, and a new spirit." 

'S. — Had this covenant with Abraham anything more than a lit- 
eral signification ? 

F. — Yes ; it had a spiritual signification, which the patriarch and 
his pious descendants undoubtedly understood. Thus the promise 
of a seed in which all the nations and families of the earth should 
be blessed, was understood to be a promise of Christ, and of the 
blessings of the gospel. So the promise of a numberless posterity 
looked beyond the literal descendants of Abraham, and includes 
all true believers in Christ. And the promise of Canaan for an 
everlasting possession included more than an earthly inheritance. 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 135 

It looked to a better, that is a heavenly country — the Canaan of 
everlasting rest. 

F. — Do you think that true piety was required in the covenant 
with Abraham ? 

E. — I have not a doubt of it. Can a covenant which requires 
the circumcision of the heart, or regeneration, and in which God 
says, " Walk before me, and be thou perfect," and the visible token 
of which is represented as " the seal of the righteousness of faith," 
— can such a covenant require anything less than true piety of those 
who enter into it? That there were hypocrites in the church of 
Israel — at times, many hypocrites, there can be no doubt. And so 
there have been hypocrites in the Christian church ; but then this 
does not impair the validity of the church or its covenant. All 
persons who unite with our evangelical churches must be either 
pious persons, or hypocrites ; and the same was true of those con- 
nected with the church of Israel. 

S. — Had there been no visible church in the world till the time 
of Abraham? 

F. — Yes, there was a church, and I think a visible church, before 
the flood. But all the old patriarchal institutes had been perverted 
and corrupted ; the whole world was lapsing together into idolatry ; 
and if the church of God was to be perpetuated, new and extraordi- 
nary measures must be adopted. Hence, the call of Abraham from 
the land of his nativity, and God's repeated appearances and reve- 
lations to him, and at length the formal institution of a church in 
his family, with a solemn covenant, and a new and significant 
initiatory rite. 



CONVERSATION XYI. 

ABRAHAM TILL HIS DEATH.— Angels' visit.— Interview.— Eating natural food.— 
Who the chief angel was. — Abraham's plea for»Sodom and Gomorrah. — Treatment of 
the angels of Sodom. — Their message to Lot. — Peril of Lot.— Abraham viewing the 
destruction of the cities. — Pillar of salt.— Profane writers concerning it. — The vicinity 
x)f Sodom and Gomorrah on fire for years. — Recent discoveries. — Abraham again denies 
his wife. — Birth of Isaac. — Character of Ishmael. — Isaac on the altar. — Mount Moriah. 
— Interesting circumstances.— Sarah's death and burial. — Second wife. — Abraham's Avill, 
— His death. 

Son. — A memorable event occurred at Mamre, shortly after the 
circumcision of Abraham and his household. Will you please de- 
scribe it? 

Father. — As Abraham was sitting in his tent-door, he saw three 
strangers coming towards him. He rose from his seat, went forth 
to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground; and addressing 
himself to the chief one of them, he said : " My lord, I pray thee 
turn not away from thy servant, but let a little water be brought to 
wash your feet, and rest yourselves under this tree; and I will 
bring bread, and comfort ye your hearts ; and afterwards ye shall 
pass on." A noble example this of primitive, patriarchal hospital- 
ity ! The strangers, who seemed to be men, acceded to the request 
of Abraham, and a bountiful repast was soon provided. To this 
they sat down ; and while the patriarch waited upon them, they 
did eat. 

S. — How could these celestial visitants eat natural food ? 

F. — Perhaps they assumed natural bodies for the occasion ; in 
which case they really ate, like other men. Or if we suppose them 
to have had no other than spiritual bodies, then their eating Avould 
have been only apparent. At any rate, they seemed to eat. And 
while the repast was going on, one of them inquired for Sarah ; and 
upon being told that she was in the tent, he said : " I will surely 
return at the appropriate time, and Sarah shall have a son." This 
conversation was overheard by Sarah, and because of the strange- 
ness and the improbability of the assurance, she laughed at it. And 



CONVERSATIONS ON Till; BIBLE, 137 



when she was reproved for her laughter and unbelief, she denied 
that she did laugh. But the Lord, who now plainly discovered 
himself to be a Divine messenger, said, " Nay, but thou didst laugh." 

S. — At the close of the repast, and as the strangers rose to de- 
part, what occurred ? 

F. — Abraham accompanied them a little way, when the chief of 
them (who Avas now understood to be but a visible manifestation 
of the Lord Jehovah) acquainted Abraham with his purpose to 
destroy Sodom and Gomorrah for their wickedness, grounding the 
fearful revelation on his peculiar favor to Abraham, and the assur- 
ance he had that he Avould command his children and his household 
after him, and that they would keep the way of the Lord to do 
justice and judgment. 

S. — What had become of the two accompanying angels? 

F. — They had gone forward on the way to Sodom, while Abra- 
ham remained communing with the Lord. And here we have those 
remarkable intercessions for a guilty, debauched, and abandoned 
city Avhich Ave find recorded in the eighteenth chapter of Genesis : 
•' Wilt thou destroy the righteous Avith the Avicked ? That be far 
from thee. Lord, to do after this manner, that the righteous should 
be as the Avicked. Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right ? 
Peradventure, there be ffti/ righteous in the city ; or if not fifty, 
forty; or if not fort}^ there must be thirty ; or twenty certainly; or 
at least tenP And the Lord said, *' I Avill not destroy the city, if 
only ten righteous persons are found in it." Abraham could pro- 
ceed no further. He could ask no more. He ceased praying, and 
returned to his place. 

S. — HoAv Avere the tAvo angels treated at Sodom ? 

F. — They AA^re kindly received by Lot, and conducted to his 
house ; but here they Avere beset by riotous men, Avhose lust and 
passion could by no means be restrained, until they were miracu- 
lously struck AA'ith blindness, and groped in A^ain to find the door. 

aS'. — What message did they bring to Lot ? 

F. — They Avarned him of the impending destruction of Sodom, 



138 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

and directed him to get his family and his substance together, and 
be ready in the morning to leave the city. And when there was 
some delay in the morning, the angels hastened Lot. They even 
laid hold of him, and his wife, and his two daughters, and brought 
them forth without the city, and said, " Escape for thy life ; look 
not behind thee ; tarry not in all the plain, lest thou be consumed." 
And Lot fled into Zoar at the rising of the sun. And the Lord 
rained upon Sodom brimstone and fire out of heaven, and over- 
threw those cities, and all the inhabitants thereof, and all that 
grew upon the ground. And Lot's wife — who was a heathenish, 
wicked woman — ^looked back from behind him, and she became a 
pillar of salt. 

S. — Was Abraham soon apprised of this destruction ? 

F. — Yes ; he rose early in the morning and went to the place 
where he had stood before the Lord, aud looked off towards Sodom, 
and towards the plain on which it was built, and lo ! the smoke of 
the country went up, as the smoke of a furnace. 

S. — What can you tell us of the place where these burned cities 
stood ? 

F. — It became, as Moses tells us, " a salt sea." The same is 
called the Asphaltites, or Bead Sea. The Jordan and several 
smaller streams pour their Avaters into it ; but it has no visible outlet. 
The waters are carried off, probably, by an abundant evaporation. 

This remarkable collection of water is about seventy miles long 
from north to south, with an average breadth of from ten to twenty 
miles. It properly consists of two parts. The northern portion, 
into which the Jordan enters, is very deep ; the southern part is 
shallow. The deeper portion was probably a sea before the destruc- 
tion of Sodom and Gomorrah ; the southern or shallow portion is 
thought to have been the ancient plain of Siddim, on which the 
doomed cities stood. On the eastern shore of this shallow portion 
is the site of the ancient Zoar, into which Lot and his daughters 
escaped. Further east are the mountains of Moab into which they 
wandered, and where Lot spent the remainder of his life. 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 139 

S. — What became of the pillar of salt ? 

E. — There was a pillar of mineral salt standing here as late as 
the time of Josephus, which he tells us he had seen. A remarkable 
pillar of salt is still standing there. It was seen by Lieutenant 
Lynch and his party in the year 1848, and has been seen by many 
others. 

S. — Are there any notices of this event among heathen writers ? 

F. — There are many such. Diodorus Siculus, after having de- 
scribed the lake Asphaltites, says, that in his day, the adjacent 
country was still on lire, and sent forth a grievous smell, to which 
he imputes the sickliness and short lives of the neighboring inhabit- 
ants.* Strabo, having made mention of the same lake, tells us that 
the craggy and burnt rocks and caverns round about, and the soil 
all turned to ashes and dust, give credit to a report among the 
people, that formerly several cities stood there, of Avhich Soelom was 
the chief, but that, by earthquakes and out-breaking fires, some of 
them were entirely swallowed up, and others were forsaken of 
their inhabitants.! Tacitus describes the lake much after the same 
manner, and then adds that, not far from it are fields, now barren, 
which once were fruitful, being adorned with large cities which 
were burnt with lightning, and that the country still retains traces 
of their destruction. J 

S. — Have any attempts been made in modern times to verify the 
destruction of the ancient Sodom ? 

F. — Only a few years ago. Lieutenant Lynch, an American offi- 
cer, explored the Jordan and the Dead Sea, under a commission 
from the United States government. Near the close of his journal, 
this gentleman says : " We entered the Dead Sea with conflicting 
opinions. One of our party was skeptical, and another a professed 
unbeliever of the Mosaical account. After a close investigation of 
twenty-two days, we were unanimous in the conviction of the truth 



*Lib. xix. 
tLib. X. 
JLib. V. 



140 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

of the scriptural account of the destruction of the cities of the plain. 
I record with diffidence the conclusions we have reached, as a pro- 
test against the shallow deductions of would-be unbelievers.* 

S. — What became of Lot, after the destruction of Sodom? 

F. — He retired with his two daughters into the mountains east of 
the Dead Sea, and dwelt there in a cave. The Bible records faith- 
fully the story of his incest with his daughters, and of the two sons, 
Moab and Ammon which were born unto him. From these de- 
scended the Moabites and Ammonites, who stood in close relation to 
the Israelites, and oi whom we hear so much in the sacred history. 

S, — Did Abraham continue to reside at Mamre, after the destruc- 
tion of Sodom ? 

F. — He did not. The remembrance, and perhaps the stench, of 
the ruined cities w^as disagreeable to him. He came and dwelt 
among the Philistines at Gerar, whose king was Abimelech. 

S. — What are some of the incidents of his residence at Gerar ? 

F. — He fell into the same error here, which he had formerly com- 
mitted in Egypt. He denied his wife, passing her off as his sister ; 
whereupon Abimelech took her, and was about to make her his own 
wife. But God warned him of his danger in a dream, told him who 
Sarah was, and bade him restore her to her husband. So Abimelech 
called Abraham, reproved him for the deception he had practiced, 
gave him back his wife, and with her valuable presents — sheep and 
oxen, man-servants and maid-servants. He also gave liim full per- 
mission to dwell anywhere in his country that he chose. 

>S'. — What very interesting event took place in Abraham's family 
about this time ? 

F. — The promise of God so oft repeated to him was fulfilled, and 
Sarah brought forth a son. They called his name Isaac, as the Lord 
had commanded, and on the eighth day he was circumcised. And 
the child grew and was weaned ; and Abraham made a great feast 
at the weaning of Isaac. 

aS'. — What became of Ishmael after this ? 



* Lyiich's Narrative, p. 380. 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 141 

F. — Sarah became displeased with him, and demanded that he 
and his mother should be sent away. Abraham loved Ishmael, and 
was unwilling to comply ; but having taken counsel of God, he 
yielded to what he found to be the Divine pleasure. He directed 
Hagar to take her son, with provisions and water, and to go out into 
the wilderness, intending, no doubt, to provide for her future wants. 
She departed into the desert of Beer-sheba, where she and her son 
came nigh perishing with thirst. But an angel appeared unto her, 
as he had done on a former occasion, led her to a fountain of water, 
and so preserved their lives. And here Ishmael remained with his 
mother, grew up to manhood, and became a skillful archer and 
hunter. His mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt. 

S. — What kind of man was Ishmael, and who are his descendants ? 

F, — It had been predicted of Ishmael that he would be a wild 
man ; that his hand would be against every man, and every man's 
hand against him ; but that he should live in the presence of his 
brethren. It had been predicted, too, that he would be fruitful and 
multiply, and that his seed would become a great nation. And all 
this has been, and is, remarkably fulfilled. He had himself twelve 
sons, who are spoken of as princes, having castles and towns (Gen. 
XXV. 16). Partly by overcoming the original settlers of Arabia, and 
partly by mingling with them, Ishmael is regarded as the patriarch 
and progenitor of the Arabs, — a people that never have been con- 
quered, and perhaps never will be. The Greeks, the Romans, and 
the Parthians made vigorous attempts to overcome the Arabians ; 
but without success. Ishmael's hand was against every man, and 
every man's hand against him ; and still he lived in the presence of 
his brethren. In later times, the Arabs, under the name of Saracens, 
attacked the Romans, took from them the greater part of their 
dominions, and established a vast empire of their own. The hordes 
of Arabia remain to this day, the same wild, roving, independent, 
and unconquerable people, fulfilling, in a remarkable degree, the 
predictions which were uttered respecting them almost four thou- 
sand years ago. 



142 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

S. — Where was the home of Abraham during his long residence 
in the land of the Philistines ? 

F. — Chiefly at Beer-sheba, the southernmost point of the posses- 
sions of Israel in the land of Canaan. 

aS'. — What interesting event took place in tliese days ? 

F. — It was while Abraham resided here, that he received that 
most trying and mysterious injunction : " Take now thy son, thine 
only son Isaac, and get thee into the land of Moriah, and offer him 
there as a burnt offering upon one of the mountains that I sliall tell 
thee of." 

S. — Could such a command as this have possibly come from God ? 
And if it did, was it the duty of Abraham to obey it ? 

F. — I see no difficulty in the case. God did not command Abra- 
ham to murder his son — to slay him with malicious intent. Such a 
command God could not have given ; nor, if he had, could it have 
been the duty of Abraham to comply with it. God required noth- 
ing of Abraham which he might not perform in the exercise of the 
holiest and best affections. God had a better right to Isaac than 
Abraham had. He had given the son, and he had a right to take 
him away in any manner he pleased, — whether by sickness, by wild 
beasts, by some sudden stroke of providence, or by the hand of his 
o^vn father. '' Go to Mount Moriah, and there offer up thy son as a 
burnt sacrifice upon my altar." Abraham saw, at once, that God 
had a right to lay such an injunction upon him, and, with his usual 
promptness, he prepared to obey. He was cheered, no doubt, by 
the thought that if, in obedience to God, he took the life of his son, 
that life might be restored. God could raise him from the dead, 
and fulfill, through him, all his past assurances of a numerous pos- 
terity. 

S. — Where was Mount Moriah? 

F, — Moriah was the mountain on which Solomon afterwards built 
the temple (2 Chron. iii. 1). One part of it was probably Calvary, 
where our Lord was crucified. It could not have been less than a 
hundred miles from Beer-sheba to this place. Accordingly we are 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 143 

told that Abraham did not reach it until the third day after corn* 
mencing his journey. 

S. — But Abraham did not sacrifice his son after all. 

F. — He intended to do it ; he expected to do it. He bound his 
son, and laid him upon the altar, and took the knife in his hand to 
slay him. But as the trial was now complete, the Lord interposed 
to prevent the sacrifice. 

S. — What was the design of God in this strange transaction ? 

F. — His design was, first, to try the faith and the obedience of 
Abraham. As he was to be '' the father of the faithful," the patri- 
arch and visible head of God's covenant people, it was proper that 
his faith should be severely tried. Then, secondly, this transaction 
was designed, undoubtedly, to furnish to Abraham, and through 
him to the whole ancient church, a type, a symbol, of the sacrifice 
of Christ. As Abraham, in effect, offered up his son so God would, 
iiifact^ offer up his. He would do it on the same mountain, per- 
haps in the same place. The consent of the victims, in both cases, 
was gained. A more striking emblem of the sacrifice of Christ 
could not possibly have been given to the ancient church, than 
was furnished in the transaction of which we have spoken. 

S. — On leaving Beer-sheba, where did Abraham remove ? 

F. — He came to Hebron, near Mamre, in the land of Canaan. 
And here Sarah died, at the age of one hundred and twenty-seven — 
thirty-seven years after the birth of Isaac. And when the mourn- 
ing for Sarah was ended, Abraham applied to the children of Heth — 
the native inhabitants of Hebron, for a burying place, in which to 
deposit the remains of his long loved companion. The Hittites 
generously proposed to him to occupy any of their sepulchres ; but 
he declined their proposal, requesting that he might purchase the 
cave of Machpelah, and hold it as a place of burial. The owner of 
the cave now proposed to give it to Abraham, without money or 
price. But this generous offer Abraham, in the most respectful 
manner, declined, choosing rather to purchase it, at its full value. 
To gratify him, a price was now set upon it, which was promptly 



144 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

paid. " Abraham weighed unto Ephron, the owner of the land, the 
price which he had named, viz.^ four hundred shekels of silver, cur- 
rent money, with the merchant.* And the field, and the cave, and 
all the trees that were in the field, were made sure unto Abraham 
in the presence of the children of Heth." When the contract had 
been finished, Abraham buried his wife in the cave of Machpelah ; 
and there, after a time, he was buried himself. And so were Isaac 
and Rebecca, and Jacob and Leah buried there, and perhaps other 
members of the same family.f 

S. — What course did Abraham pursue in order to procure a wife 
for his son Isaac ? 

F. — He conferred with Eliezer, the chief steward of his house, 
and charged him that he should not take a wife for his son of the 
daughters of Canaan : but " go to my country," i. e. to Haran, 
"and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son from thence." 
And the more strictly to bind his steward to a faithful performance 
of his wishes, he administered to him a solemn oath, — telling him, at 
the same time, that if he came to Haran, and a suitable woman of 
their kindred would not return with him, he should be clear of the 
oath which he had taken. 

Thus charged, Eliezer set out on his long journey, with a retinue 
of servants and camels suitable to his master's quality and state. 
Of the incidents of the journey we are not informed. We only 
know that in good time he arrived at Haran, whence Abraham had 
emigrated some sixty-five years before, and where he had left his 
brother Nahor. Here he rested his camels at evening by a well, and 
lifted up his heart in prayer to God for his direction and blessing. 
He prayed that, from among the young women who should come 
out of the city to the well, God would clearly indicate to him the 
one whom he had raised up to be the wife of Isaac. And his prayer 
was heard. Without going into all the particulars of the wonder- 



*About two hundred and tAventy-five dollars of our money. 

tOver this cavern now stands a Turkish mosque, into which no Jew or Christian has 
been perniittedj until very recently, to enter. 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE, 145 

ful story, suffice it to say that, while he was yet praying, Rebecca, 
a graucl-daughter of Nahor, and a second cousin of Isaac, came out 
to the well with her pitcher for water. She answered to all the 
conditions which Eliezer had mentioned in his prayer, so that he 
knew, at once, that she was the person for whom he was sent. He 
made himself known to her, gave her valuable presents, and was 
invited to her father's house. He here told his story, circumstan- 
tially, from beginning to end, and when he was through he said : 
'' Now, if ye will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me ; 
and, if not, tell me ; that I may turn lo the right hand, or to the 
left." And Bethuel, the father of Rebecca, and Laban, her brother, 
answered and said : " The thing proceedeth from the Lord ; we 
cannot speak unto thee good or bad. Behold Rebecca is before 
thee ; take her and go, and let her be thy master's son's wife, as the 
Lord hath spoken." So, with the full consent of Rebecca, she was 
sent away on the morrow, Avith her nurse and other female servants, 
and in a little time became the wife of Isaac. 

aS'. — After the marriage of Isaac, what change took place in the 
family of Abraham ? 

F. — Though Abraham was now a hundred and forty years old, 
it may be said of him, as it was afterwards of Moses, " his eye was 
not dim, neither was his natural force abated." He was a healthful 
and vigorous old man, enjoying in peace, plenty, and honor, the 
fruits of a temperate and upright life. Isaac was happily married 
and settled ; and the father began to think that it might conduce 
to his happiness to be married also. He was at this time only ten 
years older than Terah was at his birth, and of the same age with 
Terah at the birth of Sarah. 

S, — Who was the second wife of Abraham ? 

F. — She v/as Keturah, a pious woman, probably of his own house- 
hold. She bare him six sons, viz. : Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Mid- 
ian, Ishbak and Shual. These all settled in Arabia, mingling more 
or less with the Moabites and Ishmaelites, and became heads of 
houses or of nations in that sunny land. 



146 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

S. — Where did Abraham reside, after his second marriage ? 

F. — We are not particularly informed. It must have been in the 
extreme south of Canaan, — perhaps at Hebron, or Beer-sheba, or 
possibly still further south, at the well Lahai-roi. At this place we 
know that Isaac dwelt, after his father's death (Gen. xxv., 11). 

S. — What disposition did Abraham make of his property ? 

F. — Although Abraham had other sons, he well knew that Isaac 
was the child of promise. It was through him that the blessings of 
the covenant were to come upon the world. Accordingly, his sub- 
stance in the land of Canaan Avas all given to Isaac ; while to his 
other children he gave gifts, and sent them away. 

S. — When did Abraham die ? 

F. — Laden with honors and with years, he died at the age of one 
hundred and seventy-five, thirty-five years after his marriage to 
Keturah. It is pleasant to know that his other sons united with 
Isaac in paying honors to the venerable patriarch at his funeral. 
He was buried, as I said, in the cave at Machpelah, where more than 
forty years before, he had deposited the remains of his beloved Sarah. 



COXVEESATIOX XTII. 

REFLECTIONS OX THE LIFE OF ABRAHAM.— His reputation among the na- 
tions. — SkiUed in Celestial Science. — Ancient historians regarding him. — The Moham- 
medan Koran. — A beautiful story. — A Persian legend. — Abraham's faith. — Abraham as 
an example. — His transgressions. — His name honored by posterity. 

Son. — It might be expected that a man so eminent for wisdom 
and goodness as Abraham, and so well known in all the 2:)rincipal 
countries of the East, would leave some memorial of liimself, beyond 
the time of his own posterity. Do we find it so ? 

Father. — VTe do. The name of Abraham was long known not 
only among the Israelites, but in other ancient nations. Thus 
Berosus, the Chaldean, speaks of him as •• a man righteous and 
good, and skilled in celestial science.'' Hecateus. who resided at 
the court of the Ptolemies in Egypt, wrote a work in his praise. 
Kicolaus of Damascus tells of his coming out of Chalclea into Syria, 
and thence removing into Canaan, where liis posterity became 
exceeding numerous. Eusebius Cjuotes Eupolemus and Anti]3anus, 
heathen authors, both of whom make honorable mention of Abra- 
ham, and note some of the principal events in his history. 

aS'. — I have heard of interesting legends respecting Abraham 
among the Mohammedans ; will you repeat some of them ? 

F. — The following, which I give in the language of the Koran, 
indicates the manner in which (amidst prevailing idolatries) the 
mind of Abraham became established in the doctrine of one God : 
^' When night overshadowed him, and Abraham saw a- star, he said. 
This is my Lord. But when the star set, and was out of sight, he 
said, I will not have this. Then the moon arose, and he said. This is 
my Lord. But the moon went down also, and he said. If I worship 
this, I shall be led astray. Xext, the sun arose, and he said. This., 
surely, is my God. But when the sun was gone, he cried, O my 
people ! I am clear of all these things. I now turn my face to Him 
who made the heavens and the earth."" 

S. — This is a beautiful storv. Can vou think of another ? 



148 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

F. — I have another in mind, which is of Persian origin, showing 
how Abraham learned to be tolerant in religion. I quote from 
Jeremy Taylor's Liberty of Prophesying : " When Abraham sat in 
his tent door, as his custom was, waiting to entertain strangers, he 
saw a venerable man coming towards him, leaning on his staff, 
weary with age and travel, who was a hundred years old. He 
received him kindly into his tent, washed his feet, provided him a 
supper, and caused him to sit down. But observing that the old 
man did not ask a blessing on his meat, he inquired the reason. 
The old man replied that he worshiped fire, and no other god. At 
this, Abraham grew angry, thrust him out of his tent, and exposed 
him, unsheltered, to all the evils of the night. Then God called to 
Abraham out of heaven, and asked where the stranger was. I 
thrust him out of my tent, said he, because he does not worship 
thee. But God answered, I have suffered him these hundred years, 
though he dishonored me ; and couldst thou not endure him for a 
single night? Upon hearing this, Abraham took him back again, 
and gave him hospitable entertainment and good instruction." 

aS'. — This is too good to be a fiction. It is worthy of Abraham 
himself. 

The history of Abraham, over which we have passed, is of great 
importance to us as an example. That its good lessons may not be 
lost upon us, will you please to indicate some of them specifically ? 

F. — He was, indeed, an example to his spiritual children of nearly 
every grace anc? virtue of religion. His life serves to illustrate, first 
of all, the nature and the efficacy of faith — that faith which springs 
from the heart, and controls the life. When Abraham received a 
revelation from God he believed it ; and when a command, growing 
out of such revelation, was issued, he obeyed it. Thus when called 
to leave his country, and go to a foreign land, he went., asking no 
questions. And when called to the dreadful act of sacrificing his 
son, he did the same. He prepared, at once, to make the sacrifice, 
trusting in God to fulfill his promise in raising him from the dead. 

S. — I have often admired Abraham's patience in waiting upon God. 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 149 

F. — You are right in this ; and here is another point in which he 
is an example. We are apt to be in a hurry, expecting God to ful- 
fill his promises right off^ in our own way and time, or not at all. 
But Abraham understood God's method of dealing with his crea- 
tures better than this. Abraham had an early promise of a numer- 
ous posterity ; but it was twenty-five long j^ears after he entered 
Canaan, before the child of promise was born. He had promise 
after promise that the land of Canaan should be given to his pos- 
terity for a possession ; but he lived not to see the fulfillment of 
these promises. Still, he doubted not that they would be fulfilled ; 
and in God's own way and time, they were. 

aS; — The devotional spirit of Abraham was very manifest. 

F. — It was so indeed ; and here again we have him for an exam- 
ple. He loved God, and loved his worship. He loved to have 
communion with him in acts of worship. Accordingly, wherever 
he pitched his tent, — at Sichem, at Bethel, at Mamre, at Beer- 
sheba, — from the time of his coming into Canaan to the day of his 
death, we find him erecting an altar, and calling on the name of the 
Lord. Such was his habit, his course of life everywhere. No one 
could spend a day in Abraham's family, without understanding that 
he was a friend and worshiper of the God of heaven. 

S. — Can you think of any other points in which Abraham may 
be held up as an example ? 

F. — Yes ; look at his worldly integrity and generosity. Witness 
his generous treatment of Lot, when he told him to take his choice 
in what part of the land to dwell. " If thou wilt take the right 
hand, then I will go to the left ; or if thou depart to the left hand, 
then I will go to the right." Witness his generous treatment of 
those who suffered in the sacking of Sodom. '' I will not take from 
thee so much as a thread, or a shoe-latchet, lest thou shouldst say, 
I have made Abraham rich." Witness also his persistent upright- 
ness, in purchasing the field of Machpelah of the children of Heth. 
How much have Christians in our own time to learn of Abraham, 
in regard to this mattei of worldly integrity ! 



150 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

I might notice many other traits in which Abraham was an ex- 
ample to us all. Witness his princely hospitality in receiving the 
strangers who came to him at Manire, when he had the honor of 
" entertaining angels unawares." Witness his deep feeling and 
anxiety for sinful men about to be destroyed, as evinced in his fer- 
vent intercessions for the Sodomites. This was very like Paul, who 
could not speak, without weeping, of those who were enemies of the 
cross of Christ ; or rather it was like the great Seed of Abraham^ 
who beheld Jerusalem from the brow of Olivet, and wejDt over it. 

And when he came to the close of life, Abraham was an example 
to all heads of families, in making a satisfactory disposition of his 
worldly estate. He set, not only his heart, but his house in order. 
He made large gifts to Ishmael, and the sons of Keturah, and sent 
them away ; while Isaac, as the son of promise, he retained and 
richly endowed in the land of Canaan. 

S. — Still, you do not regard Abraham as a perfect man. 

F. — No ; he did not claim to be ; nor is he so set before us in the 
Scriptures. His denial of his wife, in two separate instances, was 
strangely inconsistent with his general character, and was followed 
(as such expedients generally are) with unpleasant results. His 
consenting to Sarah's proposal in regard to Hagar, was also a blot 
upon his character, which no length of years can entirely obliterate. 

S. — Abraham, it seems, was mortal, like the rest of. us. 

F. — Yes ; though he lived to a good old age, he could not live 
always. Though he sustained his probation, and performed his part 
nobly on the earth, and left behind him a name second to that of no 
mere man in point of honor and influence, yet he could not escape 
the stroke of death. Like the long line of patriarchs who had gone 
before him, he died. His dust still reposes in the cave at Machpelah, 
awaiting the resurrection of the just. 



CONVERSATION XYIII. 

ISAAC TO HIS DEATH.— The birth of Jacob and Esau.— Heads of two nations.— 
Esau's birthright sold for a mess of pottage — What is signified. — Isaac like his father 
denies his Avife. — Isaac in the land of the Philistines — His departure.— Esau's marriage 
and its consequences. — Esau losing the blessing. — His grief. — Jacob threatened with 
vengeance. — Flight of Jacob.— Character of Isaac. 

Son. — We have heard something of the life of Isaac, but not all. 
Please tell us more of him and his posterity. 

Father. — For twenty years after his marriage he continued child- 
less, when Rebecca was delivered of two sons at a birth. Esau 
and Jacob had been the subjects of much prayer, and of divine 
predictions, before they were born. It had been foretold that they 
would be the fathers of two nations — of two sorts of people ; and 
that the elder should serve the younger. Esau, the elder of the 
two brothers, was a hairy man, a cunning hunter, a man of the field ; 
but Jacob was a plain man, a shepherd, dwelling in tents. Esau 
was the special favorite of his father, but Jacob of his mother. 
These boys w^ere fifteen years old, when their grandfather Abraham 
died. They, no doubt, had often seen him, and had the benefit of 
his counsels and prayers. 

S. — We are told, in Genesis 25th, and in other Scrij)ti:ires, that 
Esau sold his birthright to Jacob for a mess of pottage. Pray tell 
us what this means ? What was it precisely which Jacob bought, 
and Esau sold ? 

F. — It was, undoubtedly, the rights and privileges which, accord- 
ing to patriarchal usages, belonged to the first-born. Among these 
pre-eminently, in the case before us, were those covenant blessings 
which belonged to Abraham and Isaac. These were what Esau 
despised, and sold for a mess of pottage. These were what, when 
the blessings had been given to Jacob, he could not recover, " though 
he sought them earnestly with tears." It was the selling of these 
rich covenant blessings for a mess of pottage, which led the Apostle 
to speak of him as a "profane person " (Heb. xii. 16). 



152 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

S. — Did Isaac remove from place to place, like his father ? 

F. — He did not. He seems never to have traveled far from his 
birthplace, in the extreme south of Canaan. He purposed, in a 
season of famine, to go into Egypt ; but the Lord prohibited him, 
saying ; " Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and bless 
thee ; " repeating, at the same time, the rich covenant blessings 
which had been so often made to his father. So Isaac turned aside, 
and dwelt at Gerar — only a short distance from his usual abode. 

aS'. — Here he found an Abimelech on the throne, — was it the same 
who so kindly received his father ? 

F. — Probably not, but rather one of his sons or descendants. 

Here Isaac fell into the same error which his father had committed 
before him, viz.., the denial of his wife. He said of Rebecca that 
she was his sister ; being afraid to call her his wife, lest the people 
of the land should kill him for her sake. But Abimelech soon dis- 
covered that she was his wife, and sharply reproved Isaac for his 
deception. He did not, however, send him away, or inflict upon 
him any punishment. So far from this, he granted him protection, 
saying to his people : " Whoever toucheth this man or his wife, with 
intent to injure them, shall surely be put to death." 

S. — How long did Isaac reside among the Philistines at Gerar ? 

F. — He was here several years, and was remarkably prospered in 
all his worldly interests. The seed which he sowed yielded him a 
hundred fold. He had flocks and herds, and great store of servants. 
His prosperity, at length, excited the envy of the Philistines, and 
they began to annoy him. They filled up the wells which his father 
had digged ; and when the servants of Isaac digged new wells, the 
herdsmen of Gerar strove with them, and drove them away. At 
length Abimelech came to Isaac and said : " Go from us, for thou 
art mightier than we." So Isaac departed unto Beer-sheba, and 
built an altar there, and called upon the name of the Lord; and the 
Lord appeared to him, and blessed him, and confirmed to him the 
promises which were so often made to Abraham his father. 

aS*. — Please tell us of Esau's marriage, and its consequences. 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 153 

i^.-.. When Esau was forty years old, without consulting his par- 
ents, he connected himself in marriage with two Canaanitish women, 
viz.^ Judith and Bashemath, of the daughters of Heth. And these, 
it is said, " were a grief of mind to Isaac and Rebecca ; " or, as the 
Septuagint translates it, " they quarreled with Isaac and Rebecca." 
At any rate, the connection was an unhappy one, which served more 
than ever to alienate the heart of Rebecca from her eldest son. 
Still, they seem to have lived together, or near to each other, at 
Beer-sheba, or Mamre, or Hebron, for a series of years. Isaac, a 
quiet old gentleman, was the head of the household ; Esau was an 
expert hunter, who supplied his father with venison, of which he 
was very fond ; while Jacob had charge of the flocks and herds. 

aS'. — Pray tell us how Jacob managed to secure his father's bless- 
ing, which was intended for Esau. 

F, — When Isaac was a hundred and thirty-five years old, and 
his eyes were dim that he could not see, he one day directed Esau to 
take his quiver and bow, and go out into the field and secure some 
venison ; " and make me savory meat," said he, " such as I love, 
thxit I may eat, and that my soul may bless thee before I die." And 
Esau did as his father commanded. He went to the field to hunt 
for venison. 

M*:;anwhile Rebecca, — who had heard what had passed, and who 
was rosolved that the paternal blessing should rest, not on the head 
of Esaa, but on that of Jacob, — called her younger son, and con- 
certed with him a plan, by which her purpose might be carried into 
effect: " Go now to the flock, and fetch me from thence two kids of 
the goats, and I will make of them savory meat such as your father 
loveth ; and thou shgilt bring it to him that he may eat and may 
blerii^ thee before his death." But Jacob objected. " Though my 
fath(^f cannot see, he can feel ; and as Esau is a hairy man, and I am 
a smooth man, he will put forth his hand to feel of me, and will 
know that I am a deceiver; and so shall I bring a curse upon 
myself, and not a blessing. 

S, — And what did his mother say to this objection ? 



154 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

F. — " Trust me for that," said she, " only do as I have directed." 
So Jacob went and brought the kids to his mother. And she made 
the savory meat, and she took Esau's raiment and. put it upon 
Jacob ; and she put the skins of the kids upon his hands, and on 
the smooth part of his neck ; and told him to take the meat and 
carry it to his father. He did so ; and by dint of deception and 
falsehood, effectually imposed upon the good old man, and secured 
to himself the blessing which was intended for Esau ; " God give 
thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty 
of corn and wine. Let peoples serve thee, and nations bow down 
to thee. Cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he 
that blesseth thee." 

S. — And what took place when Esau returned, and the cheat was 
discovered ? 

F. — Both Esau and his father were greatly distressed. Esau 
wept aloud and said, " Hast thou but one blessing, my father ! 
Bless me, even me, also, O my father ! " Overcome b}^ his entreaties, 
Isaac bestowed upon Esau such a blessing as he could; not to 
revoke tjiat which had been given to Jacob, but in consistency with 
it ; '' Behold thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, and of 
the dew of heaven from above. By thy SAvord thou shalt live, and 
shalt serve thy brother ; and it shall come to pass, when thou shalt 
have the dominion, that thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck." 

S. — For this deception and falsehood on the part of Jacob and his 
mother, is there any good excuse ? 

F. — I think not. It is no excuse for them that, in securing the 
blessing as they did, they were fulfilling a Divine purpose, which 
had been disclosed even before Jacob and Esau were born. The 
means which they used were altogether uuAvorthy of them. They 
were base and sinful ; and in resorting to th-em, they have left a 
stain upon their characters, Avhich no length of years can wash away. 
No Avonder that Esau Avas offended Avith his brother; and Ave 
scarcely Avonder that, in the heat of his anger, he should threaten 
his brother's life. 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 155 

aS'. — In these alarming circumstances, what did Rebecca do ? 

F, — To screen her beloved Jacob from danger she proposed to 
him to flee to Haran, to the house of her brother Laban, and there 
remain until Esau's anger should abate. And to secure the consent 
of Isaac to the proposal, she coupled with it another object. " I am 
weary of my life," said she, " because of the daughters of Heth. If 
Jacob shall take a wife from among them, what good shall my life 
do me ? " 

The thought here suggested struck Isaac most agreeably. So he 
called Jacob to him, and charged him not to take a wife of the 
daughters of Canaan ; but " Go thou to Padan-Aram " (another 
name for Haran), " to the house of Bethuel, thy mother's father, 
and take thee a wife of the daughters of Laban, thy mother's 
brother." And having renewed his blessing upon Jacob, he sent 
him away, 

aS'. — How old was Jacob at this time ? 

F. — He was about seventy-five years of age. The particulairs of 
his journey, of his residence in the family of Laban, and of his 
return to Canaan after the lapse of some twenty years, will be 
treated of in another place. Rebecca supposed, probably, that he 
would be absent but a little while. She expected him soon to re- 
turn, with one of her nieces for his wife, to be a comfort to her in 
her declining years ; but the probability is that she never saw him 
more. She seems to have died some twenty years after this, — about 
the time that Jacob left Padan-Aram for Canaan, — and was buried 
in the cave at Machpelah. 

aS'. — What do we hear of Isaac after this ? 

F. — Very little that is of general interest. He continued to 
reside at Mamre, until the return of Jacob, after an absence of about 
thirty years, twenty of which were spent with Laban, and ten ai; 
Shechem and Bethel, in the more northerly parts of Canaan. 

S. — What have you to say of the character of Isaac ? 

F. — He was without doubt a truly pious man. With less capac- 
ity or enterprise than either Abraham or Jacob, he was distin- 



156 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

guished chiefly for the virtues of social and domestic life. If he 
never startles us by any stirring adventures or great undertakings, 
he was one whom all about him must have respected and loved. 
His name is still an honored one, and shall go down with honor to 
the end of the world. 



CONVERSATION XIX. 

JACOB TO THE DEATH OF HIS EATHER.-^acob's journey .—His dream.— His 
vow. — Marries his two cousins. — Has twelve sons and one daughter. — Separation from 
Laban. — The stolen images. — Jacob wrestles Avith the angel. — Fiilfills his vow. — Benja- 
min born. — Rachel's death. — Her monument standing at the present time. — Jacob re- 
turns to his father. — Isaac's death and burial. 

Son. — In our last conversation, we pursued the history of Jacob 
to the time of his being sent from home, to escape the wrath of his 
brother Esau. His subsequent life must be one of great interest. 
Will you assist us farther in the study of it ? 

Father. — The journey from Beer-sheba, in the extreme south of 
Canaan, to Haran or Padan-Aram, beyond the Euphrates, cannot 
be less than five hundred miles. The circumstances of the case 
required that Jacob should be sent away privately, without any 
parade, or extensive outfit. He entered upon his long journey on 
foot and alone. As to the incidents of it, we only know what took 
place at Bethel. As he passed along in weariness and solitude, 
oppressed Avith a sense of his cares and dangers, night overtook him 
in a certain place, where was no dwelling and no inhabitant. The 
sun was set ; and with a stone for his pillow, and the canopy of 
heaven for a covering, he laid him down to rest. In his sleep, he 
was favored with a most remarkable vision. He saw a ladder 
standing upon the earth, the top of which reached unto heaven ; 
and behold the angels of God were ascending and descending upon 
it. And the Lord Jehovah stood above it, and there graciously 
repeated and confirmed the promises which had before been made 
to Abraham and to Isaac. " The land on which thou liest, to thee 
will I give it, and to thy seed ; and thy seed shall be as the dust of 
the earth ; and thou shalt spread abroad to the east and to the west, 
and to the north and to the south ; and in thy seed shall all the 
families of the earth be blessed. And behold I am with thee, and 
will keep thee in all places whither thou goest ; and I will bring 



158 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

tliee again into this land ; for I will not leave thee until I have 
accomplished all that which I have promised." 

aS'. — How was Jacob affected by this revelation ? 

F. — The vision which he had seen, the voice he had heard, filled 
the mind of the patriarch with holy awe. He exclaimed, as he 
awoke, " Surely, the Lord is in this place, and I knew it not ! How 
dreadful is this place I This is none other than the house of God, 
and the gate of heaven ! " He set up the stone on which he had 
rested, for an anointed pillar, and called the name of it Bethel — the 
house of God. And he vowed a vow, saj'ing, '^ If God will be Avith 
me, and keep me in the way in which I shall go, and will give me 
bread to eat and raiment to put on, so that I come again to my 
father's house in peace, then shall the Lord be my God ; and of all 
that the Lord shall give me, I will surely give a tenth unto thee." 
From this time, Jacob seems to have been another man. I have 
always regarded the scene at Bethel as the time of his conversion. 

S. — How was Jacob prospered in the remainder of his journey, 
and what was the result of it ? 

F. — Encouraged by the Divine promises, he went joyfully on his 
way, and soon came to the place of his destination. Almost the 
first person he saAv was Rachel, the daughter of his uncle, Laban, who 
came to water her father's flock. He made himself known to her, 
assisted her in watering the sheep, was at once invited to Laban's 
house, and became a member of his family. And here he remained 
twenty years, having the principal charge of Laban's flocks. Four- 
teen years he served his uncle for his two daughters, Leah and 
Rachel, and six years he attended the herds and flocks npon shares, 
a certain portion of the increase belonging by contract, to himself. 

aS'. — And how was Jacob prospered in these years ? 

F. — During his last six years with Laban, he was prospered 
greatly. His substance increased so rapidly, as to excite the envy 
of Laban and his sons. They said : " Jacob hath taken away all 
that was our father's, and of that which was our father's hath he 
gotten all this wealth." 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 159 

Meanwhile, Jacob's family had increased. He had become the 
father of twelve children, eleven sons and one daughter. He began 
to think that it was time for him to provide more distinctly for his 
own, and that, in order to do this, he must return to Canaan. In- 
deed, he was admonished so to do by an express revelation from God. 
So he called for his wives, Leah and Rachel, explained to them his 
purpose, and readily obtained their consent and approbation. 

aS.— How did Jacob manage to get away? 

F, — He took his wives and his children, his flocks, his herds, and 
all his substance, and departed secretly from Padan-Aram, while 
Laban was absent shearing his sheep. Jacob had been gone three 
days, before Laban heard of it. He then collected a great company 
and pursued after Jacob, and on the seventh day overtook him in 
Mount Gilead. This mountain was about forty miles east of the 
sea of Galilee, in a region called, in the New Testament, Trachonitis, 
almost to Canaan. 

S. — What was Laban's object, in so hotly pursuing his son-in-law ? 

F, — Undoubtedly to capture him, and force him to return ; but 
the Lord appeared to him in a dream, and warned him to desist : 
" Take care that thou do nought to Jacob, either good or bad." 
So they met ; and, after some mutual chiding and reproof, entered 
into a covenant. And they made a great heap of stones, and called 
it Grilead, i. e. witness ; because it was to remain a token, a witness, 
to the contracting parties, and having feasted together, Jacob and 
his father-in-law parted in peace, and Laban returned to his place. 

iS. — Was idolatry practiced at this time in the family of Laban. 

F. — It certainly was ; and one of the complaints of Laban against 
Jacob was, that he, or some of his company, had stolen his images. 
But Rachel, who had taken them, had so effectually concealed 
them, that they could not be found. We learn from this fact, not 
only that Laban and his family were idolaters, but that Rachel her- 
self had not been weaned from the detestable practice. 

S. — Had Jacob any other dangers to apprehend, after parting 
with Laban ? 



IGO CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

F. — He had ; he was now approachmg the land of Canaan, and 
must expect, ere long, to meet his brother Esau ; and knowing his 
brother's long cherished resentment, he dreaded the result. And 
though he was encouraged at Mahanaim by a vision of angels, still 
his mind was not at ease. So he selected some of his more trusty 
servants and sent them to Mount Seir to meet Esau, that they 
might tell him of his approach to Canaan and crave his forgiveness 
and favor. As the journey from Mahanaim to Mount Seir was 
more than a hundred miles, the embassage must have occasioned 
no little delay. And when the messengers returned, their report, 
instead of allaying his fears, served greatly to increase them : '-'- Thy 
brother Esau cometh out to meet thee, and four hundred men with 
him? ' 

S. — No wonder Jacob was alarmed. Encumbered as he Avas with 
his wives and children, his flocks and his herds, and having few or 
no means of defense, what could he do against such a force ? 

F. — Having no other resource, Jacob betook himself to prayer. 
" O Lord God of my fathers, Abraham and Isaac, the Lord which 
said unto me, Return unto thy country and I will deal well with 
thee ; I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the 
truth which thou hast showed unto thy servant ; for with my staff 
I passed over this Jordan, and now I am become two bands. 
Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother Esau ; for I 
fear him, lest he come and smite the mother with the children." 

S. — Did Jacob satisfy himself with mere prayer ? 

F. — He did not. He felt the necessity, as every supplicant 
should, of uniting means with prayers. So he took a rich present of 
goats and sheep, of camels, kine and asses, and divided them into 
several companies, and sent them forward, one after another, to 
meet his brother, that, if possible, he might appease and melt him 
by these successive gifts. And having arranged all things in the 
best possible manner, he betook himself again to prayer. He 
remained all night alone with God, and had a most remarkable 
manifestation of the Divine presence and favor. A man appeared 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 161 

to him, whether in the body or out of the body I cannot tell, and 
wrestled with him the greater part of the night, and prevailed not 
against him. This wrestling, though literal, was but the symbol of 
a mightier struggle which was going on in Jacob's heart.* Towards 
morning, the stranger, — seeing he could prevail in no other way, — 
touched the hollow of Jacob's thigh, and instantly maimed him. 
By this Jacob knew, if he did not know before, that his companion 
was a Divine person ; and this only made him the more importu- 
nate. So when the Messenger said, " Let me go for the day break- 
eth," Jacob replied, " I will not let thee go, unless thou bless me." 
A remarkable instance this of power and perseverance in prayer. 
Jacob obtained the desired blessing. He obtained also this noble 
testimony : " As a prince hast thou power with God and with man, 
and hast prevailed." 

Jacob's prayer and his success are beautifully set forth in one of 
Wesley's hymns, beginning thus : 

" Come, thou traveler unknown, 
Whom still I hold, but cannot see, 
My company before is gone, 
And I am left alone with thee. 
With thee all night I mean to stay. 
And wrestle till the break of day." 

S. — What was the result of this importunate and persevering 
appeal to God ? 

jP. — On the day following, Jacob and Esau came together, and 
the interview was one of great kindness and tenderness. Esau ran 
to meet Jacob, fell on his neck and kissed him ; and they both wept. 
Jacob introduced him to his wives and children, showed him his 
flocks and herds, and persuaded him, against his will, to accept the 
presents which had been sent him. Esau, on his part, invited Jacob 
to accompany him to Mount Seir, and dwell with him ; or at least 
to accept a body guard to conduct him and his family into Canaan : 



*From the most ancient times, wrestling has been regarded as a symbol of prayer. To 
this day, the religious exercises of some Orientals consist in wrestling, and are conducted 
often with such vehemence as to dislocate the joints. See Wolf's Travels and Adventures, 
Chap. 22. 



162 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

both which offers Jacob thought proper to decline. The brotherd 
separated with the strongest professions of friendship and love ; 
and though they must often have met afterwards, they seem never 
to have quarreled more. 

S. — Shortly after this, Jacob seems to have crossed the Jordan, 
and entered the land of Canaan. Where was his first stopping 
place ? 

F. — In Shalem, near to Shechem, where he bought a piece of 
ground, and built an altar unto the Lord. Here Jacob must have 
remained some ten or twelve years. Why he was not more in haste 
to pass into the south of Canaan, and dwell with his father, we do 
not knoAV. While Jacob abode here, his mother died, and Deborah, 
Rebecca's nurse, came to reside with him at Shechem. 

S. — How do we know that Jacob remained so long at Shechem? 

F. — We infer it from the fact that his daughter Dinah, who could 
not have been more than five or six years old when he left Padan- 
Aram, here came to be marriageable, and her hand was earnestly 
sought by Shechem, a prince of the country. It was the proposed 
match between Shechem and Dinah which led to the removal of 
Jacob. By some means, Shechem had got possession of Dinah, and 
had dishonored her. This so provoked her brothers, that they rose 
upon the Shechemites and slew them. This outrage was committed 
without the knowledge or consent of Jacob. He was distressed on 
account of it; and fearing that the people of the land would rise 
upon him and destroy him, he moved his residence to Bethel. 

S. — Had Jacob any other reason for going to Bethel ? 

F. — He had. He had never yet fulfilled the vow which he made, 
when on his way to Padan-Aram, that if the Lord would be with 
him, and return him in safety to his native land, then the Lord 
should he his Grod, and the stone which he had erected should be to 
him as the house of G-od, and a sanctuary for his worship. 

S. — What did Jacob do in preparation for the solemnities at 
Bethel? 

F. — He required of his household that they should put away all 



'•J 3 




CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 165 

the strange gods that were among them, and change their raiment, 
and be clean. And they gave up their idols and ear-rings, and 
Jacob took them, buried them under an oak at Shechem, and we 
hear of them no more. 

After the solemnities at Bethel, God appeared again to Jacob, 
assuring him that he should be the father of nations, and that all 
the land of Canaan should be given to his seed for a possession. 

S. — What was Jacob's next remove after leaving Bethel ? 

F. — He journeyed southward, and came to Ephrath, the same as 
Bethlehem. Here Rachel died in childbed, after giving birth to her 
second son, Benjamin. She was buried at Ephrath, and Jacob set 
up a pillar upon her grave, which was standing in the days of 
Moses, and some think is standing at the present time. 

From Bethlehem, Jacob journeyed still farther south, and came 
to his aged father at Mamre. He may have personally visited him 
before, but he had now come, with his family and household, to 
reside with him, or near him, and be his support and comfort in 
declining years. 

aS'. — Is anything more to be said about the last years of Isaac ? 

F. — He was at this time about one hundred and sixty-five years 
old. He had lost his eye-sight, and had been bereaved of his wife ; 
still, he seems to have been enjoying a quiet old age. He lived 
fifteen years after the return of Jacob, and died at the advanced 
period of a hundred and eighty, — five years older than his father 
Abraham. His sons were both present at his burial, and seem to 
have come to an amicable division of his estate. Esau took his 
portion and departed to Mount Seir. Their riches were too great 
for them to dwell together. 



CONVERSATION XX. 

JACOB AND HIS FAMILY UNTIL THE EECOGNITION IN EGYPT.— Jacob's 

partiality for Joseph. — Envy of the brothers — Their crime. — Character of the elder 
sons. — Joseph's romantic career. — Cause of the Egvjftian famines. — Joseph's bretliren 
go to Egypt to buy corn.— His treatment of them. — Demands Benjamin. — Grief of 
Jacob on parting with his youngest son. — Second journey into Egypt. — Pathetic scene 
in Joseph's palace. — The hidden cup. — Consternation of the brothers. — Judah's eloquent 
appeal. — Joseph sobs aloud and reveals himself. 

Son. — How old was Jacob when he returned to his father? 

Father. — He must have been about a hundred and five years old. 
His sons were several of them grown to manhood. As his numer- 
ous flocks could not be accommodated with pasturage where they 
were, Jacob trusted his sons to drive them to a distance from home, 
and to have the charge of them. For one of his sons, Jacob had a 
dangerous partiality. This was Joseph, an amiable and pious 
youth, about seventeen years of age — the first-born of his beloved 
Rachel. 

S. — How were Jacob's other sons affected by his partiality for 
Joseph ? 

F. — It excited their envy ; and this was increased by the pro- 
phetic dreams of Joseph, which he had the simplicity to relate, 
importing that the whole family would, at some day, be subordi- 
nated to him. Inflamed by their prejudices, the elder brothers 
meditated mischief against Joseph ; and Providence soon enabled 
them to carry their plans into execution. 

aS'. — What did they do to Joseph? 

F. — They were tending their father's flocks at Dothan, several 
miles from home ; and Jacob said to Joseph, " Go and see if it be 
well with thy brethren, and with the flocks, and bring me word 
again." So he went out from his father to go to his bretliren ; and 
when they saw him at a distance, they said one to another, " Behold 
the dreamer cometh ! " and they conspired against him to kill him. 
They were dissuaded, however, from this bloody purpose, and con- 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 167 

eluded to sell him into slavery. So they sold him to a company of 
Midianites who were passing by into Egypt, for twenty pieces of 
silver. At the same time they took his coat — a beautiful coat 
which a father's fondness had provided — smeared it with the blood 
of a kid, and sent it to their father, hoping in this way to satisfy 
him that Joseph had been torn in pieces by ravenous beasts. And 
this was the conclusion to Avhich Jacob naturally came : " Joseph 
is, without doubt, rent in pieces ! An evil beast hath devoured 
him ! " And Jacob rent his clothes, put sackcloth on his loins, and 
refused to be comforted, saying, " I will go down into the grave 
unto my son mourning." 

aS'. — What was the character of Jacob's eldest sons at this tin:;e ? 

F. — They must have been very wicked, unprincipled young men. 
They could not have had the training and instruction which Abra- 
ham bestowed upon his children. Their mothers were probably 
idolaters, envious of each other, and often at variance. Their 
father was much from home, in charge of Laban's flocks and his own ; 
he had little opportunity to command his children and his house- 
hold after him ; and they grew up in the practice of wickedness. 
Witness their murder of the Shechemites, their unfeeling, inhuman 
treatment of Joseph, and their cold-blooded hypocrisy in deceiving 
and distressing their venerable father, and in keeping up the decep- 
tion for a course of years. 

S. — Where, in the mean time, was Joseph, and what became of 
him? 

F. — The Midianites who bought him took him with them into 
Egypt, and sold him to Potiphar, one of the chief officers in the 
court of Pharaoh ; and here the Lord was with him and greatly 
prospered him. His conduct was so judicious and trustworthy, 
that Potiphar set him over his house, and confided to him all that 
he had. The story of Joseph in Egypt is so admirably told by the 
sacred writer, that I Avill not undertake to paraphrase or abridge it. 
I would rather refer you to the narrative itself. With an inimita- 
ble simplicity, and with a sufficient degree of particularity, Moses 



168 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

has told us of the great favor which was shown to Joseph by his 
master ; of his wife's most wicked design against the young man's 
chastity ; of her wrath and revenge when she found herself defeated ; 
of his being unjustly cast into prison; of the kind regard of the 
keeper of the prison towards him; of his interpretiiig the dreams of 
the chief butler and baker ; and finally of his being called to inter- 
pret the dreams of Pharaoh, which proved the occasion of his en- 
largement. He tells Pharaoh of the coming seven years of plenty, 
to be followed by seven years of famine ; and advises him to gather 
together, in storehouses, all the surplus food of the first seven years, 
and lay it up against the years of want, that so there may be bread 
in Egypt, and the people perish not. His excellent advice was 
accepted by Pharaoh, and Joseph was put in charge of the whole 
business of collecting, storing, and distributing the abundance of 
Egypt. In fact, Joseph was made governor of all Egypt, was mar- 
ried to an honorable woman, a daughter of the priest of On, and 
rode in the second chariot of the kingdom. 

S. — How was Joseph affected by this high promotion? 

F. — It did not detract at all from his diligence in the discharge 
of official duty. For the first seven years, the earth brought forth 
by handfuls ; and Joseph gathered corn as the sand of the sea, very 
much, until he left numbering; for it could not be numbered. 
Meanwhile, two sons were born to him, Manasseh and Ephraim, 
who afterwards became heads of distinct tribes in Israel. 

S. — How old was Joseph Avlien the famine came upon Egypt ? 

F. — About thirty-seven. He was seventeen years old when he 
came into Egypt, and was thirty years old when he was taken out 
of prison to interpret the dreams of Pharaoh. Hence thirteen years 
had elapsed which he had spent either in the service of Potiphar, or 
in prison. Seven years more were spent in laying up corn in the 
storehouses of Egypt, and then the predicted famine came — a famine 
which prevailed, not only in Egypt, but in all the surrounding 
country. 

aS'. — What causes these distressing famines ? 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 169 

F. — In general, we may say they are caused by drought. When 
a drought occurs in upper Egypt, so as to prevent the overflowing 
of the Nile, a famine in Egypt proper is the direct result. These 
droughts and famines often extend, not only to the head waters of 
the Nile, but to Arabia, Palestine, and other adjacent countries. 
There were two such famines in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, 
the first of which, like that of Joseph, lasted seven years. 

S. — It is time that we turn from affairs in Egypt to consider 
those in the south of Canaan. Where was Jacob and his other sons 
all this while ? 

F. — Jacob was still residing in the old homestead, at Hebron, or 
Mamre, or in that vicinity. He had buried his father, and also 
Leah, both of whom were laid in the cave at Machpelah. Joseph's 
brethren were all of them married, and had families of their own. 
Even Benjamin, the youngest, had a family of sons. He was the 
darling and delight of his father, after the supposed loss of Joseph. 

S. — The drought and famine in Egypt extended also to Canaan ; 
and what did Jacob propose to his sons to do ? 

F. — He called them together and said unto them : " Behold I 
have heard that there is corn in Eg3'"pt. Get you down thither and 
buy for us, that we perish not." So the ten elder sons of Jacob 
went down into Egypt to buy corn, leaving Benjamin at home with 
their father. And when they came to Joseph, he recognized them, 
though they knew not him. And they bowed themselves before him, 
with their faces to the earth. And Joseph, wishing to try them, 
spake roughly unto them, charged them with being spies, and put 
them in prison three days. But they assured him that they were 
not spies. They told him truthfully who they were, and whence, 
and for what purpose they had come. They told him of their aged 
father, and of their younger brother whom they had left at home. 
Joseph thus learned, without being suspected, that his father and 
Benjamin were still alive. It was finally arranged that one of their 
number, Simeon, should be left in Egypt as a hostage ; that the rest 
should return to Canaan with bread for their households ; and that 



170 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

when they came again for corn, their youngest brother should come 
with them. 

aS'. — Did the rough treatment of these men in Egypt lead them to 
think of their poor brother whom, 3-ears before, they had sold into 
Egypt as a slave ? 

F. — It did ; and more than this. It aroused their consciences to 
a sense of their sin. They said one to another, without suspecting 
that the governor understood them, ^' We are verily guilty concern- 
ing our brother Joseph, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, 
when he besought us and we would not hear. Therefore is this 
distress come upon us." 

S. — What did Joseph now do? 

F. — He fulfilled the promise which he had given to his brethren. 
Having detained Simeon, he filled the rest of their sacks with corn, 
■put their money privately into their sacks, gave them provisions for 
their journey, and sent them away. They returned in safety to 
their father, and told him all that had befallen them, — how the gov- 
ernor had treated them, had imprisoned them as spies, had retained 
Simeon as a hostage, and had charged them, on their peril, not to 
return, unless their younger brother came with them. They told 
him also of their surprise and fear when they found that the price 
of their corn had been returned to them. 

S. — How was Jacob's mind affected by the intelligence which his 
sons brought to him ? 

F. — The message Avas painful and perplexing to him, more espe- 
cially that part of it which related to Benjamin. " Already," said he, 
"I am bereaved of my children. Joseph is not, and Simeon is not; 
and ye will take away Benjamin also. No ; my son shall not go 
down with you. Should any evil befall him, I could not survive it. 
Ye would bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave." 

S. — As the famine continued and increased, what further meas- 
ures were taken ? 

F. — Various arguments had been used with Jacob to induce him 
to send Benjamin with his brethren ; but to no purpose. At length 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. Ill 

hunger accomplished what persuasion could not. He yields the 
point, and consents to part with Benjamin. He directs that the 
returned money should be carried back to the governor, and with it 
a present, such as they, in their distress, might be able to afford. 
" And God Almighty bless you, and give yoa mercy before the man, 
that he may send you back, and Benjamin with you." So the sons 
of Jacob departed, and went a second time into Egypt. 

S. — And how did Joseph receive them? 

F. — He made a feast for them in his own house, and kindly 
inquired after the health of their father. And when he saw Benja- 
min he said, " Is this the younger brother of whom ye spake ? " 
And he said, '-'• God be gracious unto thee, my son." 

By this time the feelings of Joseph overcame him. He was 
obliged to retire to his chamber and weep. He soon returned, 
however, and to the astonishment of his unconscious brethren, he 
seated them at table according to their respective ages. ''How 
should the governor of Egypt know," they thought, "what our 
ages are ? " And to increase their astonishment, when he filled their 
plates, he sent Benjamin five times as much as either of the others. 

aS'. — When the dinner was over, Avhat was done ? 

F. — Joseph commanded to fill the men's sacks with food, as much 
as they could carry, to put their money again into their sacks, to 
put his own silver cup into the sack of Benjamin, the youngest, and 
to send them away. But scarcely had they left the city, when 
Joseph sent his servants after them, charging them with stealing his 
cup, and ordering them back to answer for their fault. They 
solemnly denied the charge, affirming that they knew nothing of 
the matter. They even consented that he on whom the cup should 
be found should be put to death. Their asses were at once 
unladed ; their sacks were searched ; and the cup was found in 
the sack of Benjamin, the youngest. 

S. — Their mortification and distress at this discovery must have 
been intense. 

F. — It was so, indeed. They rent their clothes ; they returned 



172 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

to the city ; they fell down before the governor and said, " What 
shall we speak unto thee ? or how shall we clear ourselves ? Behold, 
we are thy servants, both we, and he with whom the cup is found." 
But Joseph said, " No ; he only in whose hand the cup is found 
shall be my servant. But as for you, return ye in peace unto your 
father." 

S. — What reply did they make to this proposal ? 

F. — Judah who, by common consent, seems to have been chief 
speaker among his brethren, presented himself before the governor, 
and. gave utterance to one of the most touching and powerful 
speeches that ever fell from mortal lips. For simplicity, appropriate- 
ness and melting pathos, I know nothing like it in all the specimens 
of ancient or modern oratory. After a brief introduction, Judah 
recounts to the governor the substance of what passed at their first 
interview, — how the governor inquired after their father, and their 
younger brother, and enjoined, as the condition of seeing them 
again, that their younger brother must come with them. " And we 
said. He is the child of our father's old age, and his brother is dead, 
and his father loveth him. He cannot leave his father ; for if he 
should leave him, his father would die. But thou saidst, except 
your younger brother come down with you, ye shall see my face no 
more. And when we came to our father, w^e told him the words of 
my lord. And when our father said again to us. Go down to Egypt 
and buy us food, we answered. We cannot go down, except our 
youngest brother be with us. And our father answered. Ye know 
that my wife Rachel bare me two sons ; and one went out from me, 
and was torn to pieces, and I saw him no more. And if you take 
this also from me, and mischief befall him, ye shall bring down my 
gray hairs with sorrow to the grave. Now therefore, when we be 
come to our father, and he seeth that the young man is not with us, 
he will surely die, and his life shall be set to our account. For thy 
servant became surety for him to our father, saying, if I bring him 
not unto thee, then shall I bear the blame to my father forever. 
How then shall I go up to my father, and mj younger brother is 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 173 

not with me ? How can I see the evil that shall come on my 
father?" 

At this point, Judah ceased speaking ; for the governor could 
bear no more. He instantly ordered away all his servants. He 
wept and sobbed aloud. And he said unto his brethren, " I am 
Joseph whom ye sold into Egypt ! Doth my father yet live ? " 

aS'. — The feelings of his brethren at this moment must have been 
inexpressible. What could they say ? 

F. — They could say nothing. They stood dumb, confounded, 
and troubled in their brother's presence. But he encouraged them 
to come near to him, and said, '-'• Be not grieved nor angry with 
yourselves, that ye sold me into Egypt ; for God did send me before 
you to save your lives with a great deliverance. Haste ye now, 
and go up to my father, and say unto him, Thy son Joseph is yet 
alive, and God hath exalted him, and made him ruler over all 
Egypt. Come down unto me ; tarry not. Five more years of fam- 
ine still remain, in which there shall be neither earing nor harvest. 
Come down unto me, and dwell near me in the land of Goshen, 
thou, and thy children and thy children's children, and thy flocks, 
and thy herds, and all that thou hast ; and there will I nourish 
thee, lest thou and thy household come to poverty." 

aS'. — Was this interview cordial and affectionate to the end? 

F. — It was exceedingly so. Joseph fell upon his brother Benja- 
min's neck and wept ; and Benjamin wept upon his neck. More- 
over he kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them ; and after 
that, his brethren talked with him. 



CONVERSATION XXI. 

JACOB AND JOSEPH TILL THEIR DEATH.— Pharaoh invites Jacob to Egypt.— 
Jacob's joy. — Removal to Egypt. — Meeting of Joseph and his father — Jacob blesses the 
king. — Joseph's government. — Jacob about to die. — His sons called about him to receive 
his blessing.— Christ's coming predicted. — Last words. — Death and burial. — Magnifi- 
cence of this funeral unequaled. — Joseph's life a lesson for the young. 

Son. — Our last conversation closed with the recognition of Joseph 
and his brethren. What are we to suppose was the design of Jo- 
sepl^, in keeping his brethren so long in ignorance respecting himself, 
and in trying and perplexing them as he did ? Some have thought 
that his object, in putting his cup into Benjamin's sack, and getting 
him back, was to separate him from the rest of his brethren, retain 
him in his service, and let the others go. Is this probable ? 

Father. — I think not. A moment's reflection must have satisfied 
him that this was impossible. How could he retain Benjamin with 
him and not acknowledge him as a brother ? And how could he 
make himself known to him, and keep his father and his other 
brothers in ignorance ? No ; the object of Joseph's strange treat- 
ment of his brethren from first to last, was undoubtedly to try them. 
He wished to see whether adversity had humbled them ; what their 
feelings were towards their father and their younger brother ; 
whether they were men to be trusted, and whether he might safely 
bring them near to himself. When he had satisfied himself on 
these points, he was willing to avow his relation to them — to own 
and treat them as brethren. 

S. — How was Pharaoh and his court affected, when they knew 
that Joseph's brethren had come to him ? 

F. — We are told that their coming pleased Pharaoh well, and his 
servants. The king commanded that the men should return at 
once to their father, with carriages, and with abundant provision for 
the way ; and that they should bring their father, their wives, their 
children, and all their substance into Egypt, promising to give them 
the good of the land. Joseph also gave them rich presents, and. 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 175 

sent more valuable presents to his father ; and with his advice and 
blessing, he sent them away. 

S. — And how was Jacob affected when the news from Egypt 
reached him ? 

F. — He was entirely overcome by it. He fainted, and was for a 
time as one dead. But he revived and said, " It is enough ! Joseph 
my son is yet alive ! I will go and see him before I die." 

S. — Is it likely that Joseph's brethren now made full confession 
to their father, as to their past treatment of Joseph ? 

F. — It is. They were not in a situation to keep anything b,ack. 
Besides, if they had been disposed to cover up their guilt, they must 
have known that it would not be concealed. It is to be hoped, 
therefore, that they made a full confession, and were forgiven. 

S. — Did Jacob have God's approbation in going into Egypt ? 

F. — Yes ; the God of his fathers met him at Beer-sheba while on 
the way, and said, " Fear not to go down into Egypt ; for I am with 
thee, and will make of thee there a great nation. And I will bring 
thee up from thence, and Joseph shall be with thee to close thine 
eyes in death." 

aS'. — On their arrival in Egypt, Jacob and his family stopped in 
Goshen. Where was this locality ? 

F. — Goshen Avas a fertile country, lying east of the Nile, in a part 
of Egypt nearest to Canaan. Memphis, the capital of lower 
Egypt, and the residence of Pharaoh, was distant about twenty 
miles. 

S. — The meeting of Joseph and his father must have been one of 
touching interest. 

F. — It was so indeed. When Joseph heard of his father's arrival, 
he made ready his chariot, and went out to meet him, and when he 
saw him, he fell on his neck, and wept there a long time. And 
Jacob said to Joseph, " Now let me die ; for I have seen thy face, 
and thou art yet alive." 

S. — Did Joseph present any of his newly arrived friends before 
the king? 



176 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

F^—Hq introduced five of his brethren into the royal presence. 
And when Pharaoh inquired as to their occupation, they said, " Thy 
servants are shepherds, both we and our fathers, and we have no 
pasturage for our flocks in the land of Canaan, because of the 
famine. We pray thee let thy servants dwell in the land of 
Goshen." Joseph also presented his father to Pharaoh ; and the 
venerable patriarch blessed Pharaoh. And Pharaoh said unto him, 
" How old art thou ? " And Jacob answered, " The days of the 
years of my pilgrimage are one hundred and thirty years. Few 
and evil have the days of the years of my life been, and I have 
not attained unto the years of the life of my fathers." 

S. — What decision was made as to the future residence of the 
strangers ? 

F. — Pharaoh graciously consented that they should dwell in the 
land of Goshen. So Joseph placed his father and brethren there, 
— where he nourished and sustained them, and all that pertained to 
them, during the remaining years of famine. 

S. — How did Joseph proceed in the important work of distrib- 
uting bread to the people ? 

F. — He first gathered up all the money that was found in Egypt, 
in payment for corn. Then he took of the people their cattle, their 
horses, their asses and flocks, for which he fed them a full year. 
After that he purchased their lands for Pharaoh, excepting such as 
belonged to the priests. When the famine Avas over, he gave them 
seed to sow their land, reserving a fifth part of the product to 
Pharaoh, and leaving four-fifths to the cultivators of the soil. 

S. — Joseph's administration in this matter has been thought, by 
some, to be hard and oppressive. Is there any ground for such a 
complaint ? 

F. — Certainly not. It must be remembered that Joseph was act- 
ing in this matter, not for himself, but for Pharaoh. A man may 
be generous in disposing of his own goods, but there is no virtue 
in being generous with the property of another. Joseph bought 
the corn of the people, in a time of plenty, with Pharaoh's money ; 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. \11 

and bought it, so far as we know, at a fair price. He carefully 
stored it, and kept it at Pharaoh's expense ; and when the famine 
came, he sold the corn for Pharaoh at a fair price. The people 
came to him voluntarily with their money, their cattle, their lands, 
and he took them for Pharaoh, thereby saving the people alive. 
And when the famine was over, he gave them seed to sow the land, 
and permitted them to cultivate it on shares, reserving only a fifth 
part of the produce for the lawful owner, and leaving four-fifths for 
themselves. In view of these facts, we submit, whether Joseph 
should be regarded as an oppressor of the Egyptians, and not 
rather as an inestimable benefactor. He was an instrument in the 
hand of God of saving their lives — of saving their country from 
desolation, and themselves from destruction ; and so he was regarded 
to the day of his death. 

S. — How long did Jacob live after he went into Egj'pt ? 

F. — About seventeen years — perhaps the most quiet part of his 
life. He had his children, his grandchildren, and probably his 
great-grandchildren around him, as it is said that his family grew 
and multiplied exceedingly. He saw Joseph occasionally, as the 
intervals of business would permit, and took an oath of him that 
he would not bury him in the land of Egypt. " I Avould lie with 
my fathers," said he ; " bury me in their burying-place, in the field 
of Machpelah." 

S. — What were the circumstances attending the death of Jacob ? 

F. — Learnin"g that his end was near, Joseph went up to him to 
Goshen, carrying his two sons with him. And Jacob blessed 
Joseph, and blessed his sons, making them heads of tribes, as 
though they were his own children : " May the angel which re- 
deemed me from all evil bless the lads ; and let my name be named 
upon them, and let them grow into a multitude in the might cf the 
earth." 

aS'. — What was the last thing which Jacob did for his sons? 

F. — He summoned them around his bed to hear his last words : 
'' Gather yourselves together, ye sons of Jacob, that I may tell you 



178 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

what shall befall you in the last days." It would be interesting, 
had we time, to go over with all these monitory and prophetic 
words (see Gen. xlix). The patriarch addresses each of his sons 
successively, according to their ages, and notes, in few words, the 
leading characteristics and events of their history. Addressing 
Judah, he says, " The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a 
lawgiver from between thy feet, until Shiloh come. And unto him 
shall the gathering of the people be." Jacob here predicts that 
one from the tribe of Judah should have supreme authority in 
Israel, which was fulfilled in David and Solomon. He also predicts 
that before all traces of royal authority should pass away from 
Judah, the great Messenger of the Covenant should appear ; which 
was fulfilled in Christ. 

The blessing of Joseph also was rich and abiding. " The bless- 
ings of thy father shall prevail over the blessings of my progenitors, 
unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills. They shall be upon 
the head of Joseph — upon the head of him who was separated from 
his brethren." 

The venerable patriarch, having closed his prophetic sayings, had 
nothing left for him but to die. So he drew up his feet in the bed, 
and yielded up the ghost, and was gathered to his people. And 
Joseph fell upon his father's face, and kissed him, and wept over 
him, thus testifying in death, as well as in life, the ardor of his filial 
love. 

S. — What was the first care of Joseph, after the death of his 
father ? 

F. — It was to have his body embalmed, after the manner of the 
Egyptians. This, and the mourning connected with it, occupied 
seventy days. Meanwhile, Joseph acquainted Pharaoh with his 
father's wishes, and with his own oath and promise to him, as to the 
place of his burial. " My father made me swear, saying. In my 
grave which I have prepared in the land of Canaan, there shalt thou 
bury me. Now, therefore, let me go up, and bury my father, and I 
will come to thee again." And Pharaoh not only gave permission, 







IISIM^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 



lll!||lllil!li|{l!i!!||||: 



lililliiillllilliilililiilitiil 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 181 

but ordered a great company of his servants, and of the elders of his 
house, to accompany Joseph and his brethren on this melancholy 
expedition. So there went up both chariots and horsemen, a great 
multitude. It may be doubted whether there ever was such a 
funeral procession, before or since. Here was a great compan}^, — 
how great we know not, — Egyptians and Israelites, chariots, horse- 
men and footmen, moving on with Oriental pomp and magnificence, 
a distance of two or three hundred miles ; and all for what ? To 
deposit the remains of a venerable man, a holy man, the sire and 
patriarch of Israel, in their last resting-place — the grave which he 
and his fathers had prepared. And when they came near the place, 
they paused and mourned, with a great lamentation, seven days ; 
insomuch that the Canaanites took notice of it and said, " This is a 
grievous mourning to the Egyptians.'' So they buried Jacob by 
the side of his father and mother, his grandfather and grandmother, 
in the cave of Machpelah ; — and then they returned into Egj^pt. 

aS'. — When Joseph and his brethren had returned from burying 
their father, they were afraid lest he should remember their former 
ill treatment of him, and undertake to avenge it. Was there any 
ground for this fear ? 

F. — None at all. He wept when his brethren presented the case 
before him. He cheered and comforted them, saying : " Fear not ; 
seek God's forgiveness, and you may be sure of mine. Ye thought 
evil against me, but God meant it for good, to save much people alive 
as it is this day. I will nourish you and your little ones ; fear not." 

S. — How long did Joseph live after his father's death ? 

F. — More than fifty years, enjoying, as he was entitled to, the 
favor of the king. He died at the age of one hundred and ten. 
Before his death, he sent for his brethren and said unto them : 
" God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto the 
land which he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob ; and when 
ye go out, carry my bones with you." So they embalmed the body 
of Joseph, and put it in a coffin, and it remained in Egypt until the 
departure of the children of Israel. 

12 



182 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

S. — The narrative over which we have passed is most remarkable 
and instructive. Will you please indicate some of the lessons which 
it is fitted to impress ? 

F. — It certainly shows the wonders of God's providence, and the 
safety, under all circumstances, of putting our trust in him. He is 
able to bring light out of the deepest darkness, and to make even 
the sins of men contribute to his praise. Without furnishing the 
slightest excuse for human wickedness, he overrules it in thousands 
of instances — perhaps in every instance of its permission — for his 
own glory and the greatest good. All this is repeated]}^ and strik- 
ingly illustrated in the narrative over which we have passed. Jacob 
did not intend or expect to marry Leah. By a vile trick she was 
imposed upon him ; and yet she was to be the progenitress of the 
Messiah. But for her connection with Jacob, the Savior of the 
world had not appeared. Jacob loved Joseph, and hoped never to 
be separated from him. Yet Joseph must be torn away by wicked 
hands, and sent into an apparently hopeless exile, in order to save 
Jacob and his family from destruction. Yet who thanks Laban for 
his vile imposition ? Or Joseph's brethren for selling him to the 
Midianites ? " Ye thought evil against me, but God meant it for 
good." A voluntary act of sin is one thing ; God's overruling that 
act, in opposition to all its natural tendencies, and to the intentions 
of its perpetrator, for his own glory and the greatest good, is quite 
another thing. The perpetrator is without excuse ; but the over- 
ruling providence of God is praiseworthy and glorious. 

S, — Long and carefully concealed sins are often brought singu- 
larly to light. Have we not an illustration of this point in the 
narrative before us? 

F. — We have. The cruelty of Joseph's brethren was perpetrated 
secretly. It was known to no one except themselves. They took 
effectual means to conceal it from their father, and to quiet any sus- 
picions which he might otherwise have been led to entertain. They 
had heard nothing of the matter for years, and thought that they 
should hear of it no more. And yet they did. In a manner the 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 183 

most unexpected and overwhelming, it was suddenly brought to 
light. '" I am Joseph, your brother, whom 3^e sold into Egypt." 
Oh what a voice was that ! It stunned and confounded them ! A 
voice from the eternal throne could not have startled and astonished 
them more I It is for us to learn a lesson from this disclosure. 
" He that covereth his sin, shall not prosper." " Be sure your sin 
will find you out." 

S. — When Joseph was sold into Egypt, he was a young man. Is 
not his whole example a lesson for the young ? 

F. — His resistance of temptation, liis simple trust in God, his 
patient waiting for God to appear for his deliverance, — in these and 
other respects, he was an example to us all. But there is another 
point of view in which God's dealings wdth him are instructive. 
God had destined Joseph to a high station of honor and usefulness, 
but does not immediately advance him to it. Whj'not? Young 
Joseph is not yet prepared for it. He must first be tried and 
proved, instructed and humbled. He must go into the school of 
adversity, and there learn lessons of wisdom which he could learn 
nowhere else. Hence he must be torn from the fond embraces of 
his father, sold into slaver}^, and be confined in a loathsome prison 
for years. Dark days these for afflicted Joseph ! Verily, he had 
reason to say of the Almighty, " Clouds and darkness are round 
about him ! " And yet this was but a necessary discipline. It was 
just what the young man needed. Without it, he could not have 
been so well prepared for his future advancement and glory. 

Let not the young, in our day, shrink from trials, or be disheart- 
ened under them. Trust in God, wait patiently upon him, and do 
his will, and trials will not injure you. You will come out of the 
furnace as silver, and find that every trial has been a blessing. 



CONVERSATION XXII. 

MOSES UNTIL HIS CALL TO GO INTO EGYPT.— Oppression of the Hebrews.— 
The cause. — Cruel command of the Egyptian king. — Mothers co drown all the new-born 
male children. — Moses born. — A mother's devotion. — Moses providentially saved, — Born 
a slave. — A prince by adoption. — Becomes a fugitive shepherd. — The religion of the 
Egyptians. — The burning bush. — The message from God. — Aaron to be his helper. 

Son. — During the life of Joseph, and for many subsequent years, 
the Israelites were in high favor with the Egyptians. But after a 
time there was a change, and they were treated with great cruelty. 
How is this change to be accounted for ? 

Father. — There was, undoubtedly, a revolution — a change of 
dynasty in Egypt. A king came to the throne who knew not 
Joseph, and had no sympathy with the Hebrews ; and as they were 
rapidly increasing in number, and the land was likely to be filled 
with them, the new king thought to oppress them, and by harsh 
treatment to keep them down. He first compelled them to forsake 
their flocks, and to build treasure cities for himself. He set over 
them task-masters, to afflict them with burthens. But the more 
they were afflicted, the more they multiplied. 

S. — What other cruel artifices did the new king practice upon 
the Israelites. 

F. — He undertook to destroy all the male children. They were 
to be destroyed by the Hebrew mid-wives, as soon as they were 
born. But the mid-wives feared God, and contrived to evade the 
bloody injunction which was laid upon them. 

Pharaoh now resorts to another expedient. He commands that 
every son that is born to the Hebrews shall be cast into the river, 
but that every daughter should be spared alive. It was while this 
terrible edict was in force, that Moses, the great leader and lawgiver 
in Israel, was born. His father's name was Amram, a grandson of 
Levi ; and his mother's name was Jochebed. These parents had 
two children older than Moses, who were born before the murderous 
decree was enacted, viz.^ Miriam and Aaron. But the life of Moses 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 185 

was forfeited before his birth. His parents succeeded however in 
concealing him three months ; and when this was no longer possi- 
ble, his fond mother prepared a little ark of bulrushes, daubed it 
with slime and pitch, put the child into it, and laid it in the flags 
by the river's brink. And she set his sister Miriam to watch at a 
little distance, that she might see what became of the child. 

aS'. — And what did become of it ? Was it destroyed ? 

F. — No ; God had other designs respecting Moses than that he 
should go to fatten the monsters of the Nile, Accordingly, a suc- 
cession of incidents the most remarkable and interesting, began to 
be unfolded, issuing almost immediately in his deliverance. A 
daughter of Pharaoh comes down to the river to bathe, and as she 
walks on by the side of it, she discovers the little ark. Prompted 
by curiosity, she sends one of her maidens to fetch it. And when 
she had opened it, she saw the child ; and the babe wept. She 
had compassion on it, and said, '' This is one of the Hebrews' chil- 
dren." At this critical moment, Miriam ran up to Pharaoh's 
daughter and said, " Shall I go and call thee a nurse of the Hebrew 
women, that she may nurse the child for thee ? " And Pharaoh's 
daughter said, " Go." So Miriam ran and called the child's mother. 
And Pharaoh's daughter said unto her, " Take this child and nurse 
it for me^ and I will give thee thy wages." And the mother took 
the child and nursed it. 

S. — Was ever anything more natural, and at the same time won- 
derful than this? There is not an improbable incident in all the 
story ; and yet we have here a train of incidents Avhich, in a few 
hours restores the little one to the arms of its mother, to be nursed, 
not only in safety, but in honor, and at a price to be paid from the 
coffers of the cruel king. Surely, the resources of God's wisdom 
and goodness are exhaustless, and should never be despaired of by 
his suffering people. How long did Moses continue with his 
mother ? 

F. — We do not know. Probably some four or five years, until 
the usual time of weaning, — when he was restored to his adopted 



186 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

mother, and trained up under her care. She called his name Moses, 
from the Hebrew Masha, which signifies something drawn from the 
water. 

aS'. — It is said that in the court of Pharaoh, Moses was instructed 
in all the wisdom of the Egyptians. How much does this impl}^ ? 

F.—We do not very definitely know. Without doubt he was 
instructed in the Hebrew and Egyptian languages, and enabled to 
speak and write both with accuracy and elegance. He was in- 
structed, too, in geometry and astronomy. The Egyptians also had 
some knowledge of architecture, as is evident from their costly 
structures. This architecture, however, was heavy and inelegant 
compared with that of the Greeks. The Egyptians were skilled, to 
some extent, in the medical art; though their skill was less em- 
ployed, probably, in restoring the sick, than in preserving the bodies 
of the dead. The Egyptians understood likewise the art of war, 
in which it is altogether probable that Moses was instructed. 
Josephus has a story of his leading forth the Egyptian army in a 
war with the Ethiopians. This may be true, though we have no ac- 
count of it in the Scriptures. 

jS. — What was the philosophy and religion of the Egyptians at 
this period ? 

F. — It was pantheistic. " All things are full of God, and are but 
developments of God." Hence, this people were led to observe 
signs and omens, and to practice enchantments and magical arts. 
Hence, also, they were led to worship, not only the lights of heaven, 
but birds, and beasts, and creeping things. These are all of them 
Divine. God is more strikingly developed in some than in others, 
but to some extent in them all. Fetichism has alway been a result 
of pantheism. Without doubt, Moses was instructed in this phi- 
losophy and theology ; but he soon learned to despise them. He 
knew, in childhood, that he was a Hebrew ; he kept up an inter- 
course with the Hebrews ; and instead of being decoyed into the 
abominations of Egypt, he became a devout worshiper of Israel's 
God. 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 187 

S. — Please tell us of an incident which occurred in one of his 
visits to the Hebrews. 

F. — He saw an Egyptian smiting and abusing a Hebrew. In the 
heat of his indignation, he slew the Egyptian, and buried him in the 
sand. The day following, he saw two of the Hebrews engaged in 
strife. He reproved the aggressor, and sought to bring about a 
reconciliation. But the wrong-doer tartly replied, " Who made 
thee a prince and a judge over us? Wilt thou kill me, as thou didst 
the Egyptian yesterday ? " Moses learned from this reply, that the 
fact of his having killed the Egyptian was known, and fearing the 
wrath of Pharaoh, he fled into the land of Midian.. 

S. — Where was this land? 

F. — Midian, it will be recollected, was one of the sons of Abraham 
by Keturah. These sons all settled in Arabia, southward and east- 
ward from the home of Isaac. At the time of Moses, they had 
penetrated southward as far as Sinai and Horeb. It was into this 
region that Moses fled from the wrath of Pharaoh. He became ac- 
quainted in the family of Jethro, a priest of Midian, whose flocks 
he tended, and whose daughter Zipporah he married. He was forty 
years old when he came into the land of Miclian, and here he resided 
forty years. 

S. — What more can you tell us of Jethro, the priest of Midian? 

F. — He was a wise, faithful, judicious man, and a worshiper of 
the true God. On one occasion, we find him offering sacrifices to 
the God of Israel (Ex. xviii. 12). 

S. — How did Moses employ himself during his residence in the 
land of Midian ? 

F. — We do not certainly know. It seems to have been the quiet- 
est and happiest portion of his life. His occupation as a shepherd 
must have afforded him much time for reflection and communion 
with God. He may have written, during this period, the book of 
Genesis. He may also have written the book of Job. 

aS'. — What remarkable appearance did Moses witness, near the 
close of his residence with Jethro ? 



188 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

F. — He had led his flock, on one occasion, near to Horeb, the 
mount of God, and here he witnessed a most remarkable phenome- 
non — a flame of fire streaming from a bush, and yet the bush was 
not consumed ; and as he drew nigh to look at it, a voice came forth 
from the burning bush, warning him not to approach too near, and 
directing him to take the shoes from his feet; "for the place 
where thou standest is holy ground." 

S. — What further did God say to Moses at this time ? 

F, — As Moses stood listening in reverent wonder, the voice pro- 
ceeded to say : " I am the God of thy fathers, the God of Abraham, 
and Isaac, and of Jacob." The God of Israel, having thus revealed 
himself, goes on to assure Moses that he had seen the oppression of 
his brethren in Egypt, and heard their cry, and had come down to 
deliver them. " Come now," says he, " and I will send thee unto 
Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring my people out of Egypt." But 
Moses excuses himself from so hazardous a service : " Who am I 
that I should stand before Pharaoh, and bring forth the children of 
Israel out of Egypt ? " God therefore encourages him by an assur- 
ance of his continual presence ; reveals himself to him by a new 
name, / am that I am ; promises him the gift of miracles with which 
to confound all gainsayers ; and actually performs a miracle in the 
presence and by the hand of Moses, to satisfy him as to the divine 
authority of his mission. Still Moses pleads to be excused. He is 
unwilling to leave his beloved retirement, and enter on so great a 
work : " Oh Lord, I am not eloquent, but am of slow speech, and 
of a slow tongue." Hereupon God promises to be with his mouth, 
and to teach him what to say ; and not only so, to give him Aaron his 
brother for an assistant, who was known to be an eloquent man. 

S. — To what conclusion did Moses now come ? 

F. — He dare not stand out and excuse himself any further. He 
left his flock to the care of his servants, returned to Jethro, told 
him what he had seen and heard, and asked permission to go and 
visit his oppressed brethren in Egypt. And without a word of ob- 
jection, Jethro told him to go in peace. 



CONVERSATION XXIII. 

THE PLAGUES OF EGYPT.— Departure of Moses for Egypt.— The meeting of Moses 
and Aaron. — Their first acts. — Interview with the king. — Their request. — The king's 
reply. — The effect on the Hebrews. — Miracle of the Rod. — The result. — Meet the king 
by the river — The mystic rod laid over the water. — The miraculous result. — Success of 
the magicians. — The succession of the plagues. 

Son. — At the age of eighty years, Moses was now just entering 
upon the great work of his life — that for which his whole previous 
course had been one of preparation. What did he do first ? 

Father. — He took his wife and his two sons — took also the rod of 
God in his hand, and commenced his journey into Eg^^pt. His fam- 
ily, however, accompanied him but a little way. They returned to 
Jethro, to await the issue of events. 

S. — Before entering Egypt, who came out into the wilderness to 
meet Moses? 

F. — It was Aaron, his brother. The two brothers had not met 
for a long period, and now they came together under very peculiar 
circumstances. They met under a joint commission from God. 
They had it in charge to perform a work which no unaided mortal 
could achieve. They first went to the elders of Israel, delivered 
their message, and performed their miracles before them ; and the 
people, we are told, believed, rejoiced, bowed their heads, and wor- 
shiped the Lord. 

aS'. — After this, Moses and Aaron ventured into the presence of 
Pharaoh, and asked, in the name of the Lord, that the Israelites 
might go out into the desert, and hold a feast unto the Lord their 
God. How did Pharaoh receive them ? 

F. — He answered them proudly, insolently, " Who is the Lord 
that I should obey his voice ? I know not the Lord, neither will I 
let Israel go." He went on to chide Moses and Aaron for hindering 
the people in their work. He insisted that the people had not 
enough to do, and proceeded to increase their already intolerable 
burthens. They must make brick, as before, but should have no 



190 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

straw ; and if the usual tale of brick was not delivered, they should 
be beaten. And when the people expostulated, he refused to listen, 
but continued to repeat the charge, "- Ye are idle ; ye are idle." 

aS; — How were the people affected by this result? 

F. — They were discouraged, and began to murmur. Moses also 
was discouraged; so that when God ordered him to go again to 
Pharaoh, he said, " Behold, the children of Israel will not hearken 
unto me. How then shall Pharaoh hear me, who am of uncircum- 
cised lips ? " But God told him to go and deliver his message, and 
assured him that, though Pharaoh might be obstinate for a while, 
he would at length be humbled, and consent to let the people go. 

S. — What did Moses and Aaron now do ? 

F. — They ventured in again, and stood before Pharaoh; they 
repeated the request Avhich they had before made ; and to assure 
him of the authority under which they acted, they cast down their 
rod before him and it became a serpent. Pharaoh was of course 
astonished, and he called around him his magicians, to see if they 
could do the same with their enchantments. And the magicians 
did it, or they seemed to do it ; for they cast down their rods, and 
the}^ became serpents. Howbeit, Aaron's serpent prevailed over 
theirs, and swallowed them all up. But Pharaoh's heart was har- 
dened, and he refused to let Israel go. 

S. — Where did Moses next meet Pharaoh ? 

F, — It was b}^ the river Nile. He demanded of the monarch the 
release of the Israelites, and assured him, in case of refusal, that the 
waters of the river should be turned into blood. But Pharaoh Avas 
not at all disposed to yield. Wherefore, the mystic rod was lifted, 
and instantly the waters of Egypt — the river, the ponds, the pools 
of water — were changed into blood ; and so they continued for 
seven successive da}- s. This was a terrible infliction ; but it had 
no softening effect upon the heart of the monarch. He called his 
magicians ; and the}^ succeeded in doing, in a small way, what Moses 
had done throughout the land ; they changed water into blood. 

aS'. — What did Moses threaten at his next interview with the king? 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 191 

F. — He said, as before, " Let my people go that they may serve 
me. And if thou refuse, behold I will smite all thy land with 
frogs. They shall come up into thy house, and into thy bed-cham- 
ber, and into thy bed, and into the houses of thy servants, and upon 
all the people ; and the Avhole land shall be full of frogs." But 
Pharaoh disregarded the warning, and the frogs came. They came 
in such multitudes, that they literally covered the land of Egypt. 
And though the magicians succeeded in imitating the miracle, yet 
the infliction was so disgusting and annoying, that Pharaoh could 
not endure it. He called for Moses and Aaron, and besought them 
that they would entreat the Lord to take away the frogs. So 
Moses entreated the Lord, and the nuisance was abated. The 
filthy creatures were taken away ; but Pharaoh's promise vs^as soon 
forgotten, and he refused to let the people go. 

S. — Please tell us here what these magicians really did with their 
enchantments. Did they w^ork miracles, or did they only counter- 
feit them by some sleight of hand? 

F. — In answer to your inquiry, it may be remarked, in the first 
place, that no being but God can perform a proper miracle. A 
proper miracle involves a suspension or contravention of the regu- 
lar course of nature ; and as God has established this course, so he 
alone can suspend or contravene it. Magicians, conjurers, nec- 
romancers, devils, and those who are under their influence may do 
strange things — things which to us may seem supernatural or unac- 
countable ; but they cannot perform proper miracles. This is the 
prerogative of God alone. 

This being premised, the case before us may be resolved in one 
of two ways. Moses performed proper miracles ; or rather, God 
performed them through his instrumentality. And now, if we sup- 
pose that the magicians did the same things, they did them as mere 
instruments in the hands of God. God used them as his instru- 
ments in performing the miracles, that he might more thoroughly 
try the heart of Pharaoh, and the more illustriously display his 
own power and glory. But it is very doubtful Avhether any real 



192 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

miracle was performed by the magicians. They did uncertain 
things with their enchantments^ which is equivalent to saying that 
they did not really do them at all. They imposed upon the eyes of 
spectators, as jugglers then did all over the East, and as they do in 
our own times. 

S. — But to return to the narrative ; what infliction comes next ? 

F. — God next directs Moses to smite the ground with his rod, 
that the dust of it may become lice. They did so and instantly the 
sands of Egypt are transformed into little crawling vermin which 
our translators call lice. They swarmed upon man and beast 
throughout all the land of Egypt. The magicians now acknowledge 
themselves outdone. They could make frogs, or seem to make 
them ; but they could not make lice. They went to Pharaoh, and 
told him that they were convinced. This is the finger of God. 
Nevertheless, Pharaoh's heart is hardened, and he will not let 
Israel go. 

S. — What is God's next demand upon the relentless monarch ? 

F. — " Let my people go that they may serve me ; and if thou re- 
fuse, behold I will send swarms of flies upon thee " — biting, sting- 
ing, tormenting flies — " and they shall be upon thee, and thy ser- 
vants, and upon all thy people. But in the land of Goshen, where 
the Israelites dwell, there shall be no flies." And the Lord did so. 
The flies came and filled the houses in the land of Egypt. But 
Goshen escaped ; none of the flies came there. 

aS'. — How was the hardened monarch affected by this visitation ? 

F. — It was more astounding to him than the preceding. He was 
sorely afflicted and distressed by it. So he called for Moses and 
Aaron, and proposed that the Israelites should hold a sacrifice unto 
the Lord their God, in the land of Egypt Avhere they were. But 
Moses said, " No ; we cannot do this. We shall sacrifice the abomi- 
nation of the Egyptians unto the Lord our God, and they will stone 
us." Pharaoh consented, therefore, that they should go out of 
Egypt ; only go not far awa}^ " And entreat the Lord that these 
tormenting flies be destroyed." So Moses went out from Pharaoh 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 103 

and prayed unto the Lord, and the judgment was removed. Still, 
the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he refused to let the 
people go. 

aS'. — What was the next trial upon the hard heart of Pharaoh ? 

F. — " Let my geople go that they may serve me ; else I will visit 
all thy cattle with a deadly murrain, and while the disease shall be 
upon thy cattle, it shall not touch the cattle of the Israelites.'^ 
And all this was verified on the following day. The cattle of Egypt 
in great multitudes died, but the flocks of the Israelites were spared 
alive. 

aS'. — What plague was next visited? 

F. — God directs Moses and Aaron to take handfuls of ashes 
from the furnace, in the sight of Pharaoh, and throw them into the 
air, to be blown about everywhere by the winds of heaven ; and 
wherever these ashes fly, they carry with them a fatal poison. The 
bodies of the Egyptians begin to break out in swelling scabs and 
blisters, and their Avhole surface becomes a noisome spring of sores. 
So far from resisting this torturing plague, the bodies of the magi- 
cians were affected by it. The boils and blisters covered them. In 
their misery they went to Pharaoh, and warned him not to trifle 
further with the mighty power of God. 

aS'. — What was the next message from God to Pharaoh? 

F. — " Let my people go that they may serve me ; else I w^ill send 
upon Egypt a terrible storm of hail, such as hath not been from the 
beginning until now. Send, therefore, and shelter what of thy cat- 
tle is left, that the hail destroy them not." And such of the Egyp- 
tians as feared the Lord gathered their cattle into houses, while 
others left them in the fields. And on the morrow the threatened 
judgment came. A storm of thunder, lightning and hail burst upon 
devoted Egypt, — the more terrible to the inhabitants, because such 
a scene had never before been witnessed there. The fire ran along 
the ground, and the hail smote all that was in the field. Only in 
the land of Goshen there was no hail. 

aS'. — And how was Pharaoh now affected ? 



194 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

F. — Pharaoh now was terribly frightened. He sent in haste for 
Moses and Aaron, and said, " It is enough. The Lord is righteous, 
but I and my people are wicked. Entreat the Lord that there be 
]io more such mighty thunderings and hail, and I will let you go, 
and ye shall stay no longer." And Moses, though he had no great 
confidence in the monarch's promises, consented to intercede on his 
behalf. In answer to the prayer of Moses, the storm passed quickly 
over, the sky became clear, and the thunder, the rain, and the hail 
were stayed. And Pharaoh again breaks his promise. He sins yet 
more, both he and his servants, and will not let the people go. 

S. — It has been thought by some, that God's treatment of 
Pharaoh was hard and cruel, in visiting him with so many strijDCS 
and judgments. What is your opinion on the subject? 

F. — So far from hardship and cruelty, it is obvious that God's 
dealings with Pharaoh were most forbearing and merciful. Where 
shall we look for such an instance of forbearance as in the case be- 
fore us ? God had raised up Pharaoh, and. blessed him with riches, 
honor and power ; he had placed him on the throne of one of the 
greatest kingdoms on the earth ; he had committed his people Israel 
for a time to his hands ; and he had cruelly, murderously oppressed 
them. God had called on him repeatedly to relax the hard hand of 
oppression, and let his j^eople go that they might serve him, — 
accompanying the call, in every instance, with the most astounding 
miracles, — enough to convince any mortal that the message had 
come from God. He extorted from Pharaoh promise after promise, 
that if the inflicted judgment could be removed, he would let God's 
people go. And yet he did not. He hardened himself more and 
more, and the oppressed Israelites were retained. And now what 
is to be done? Will God wait upon Pharaoh any longer, and try 
him further, or will he lift his hand in vengeance and cut him off? 

aS'. — These are solemn questions. We hope you will answer them. 

F. — The sequel shows that God's thoughts and ways are not like 
ours. He has a yet further probation in reserve for cruel Pharaoh. 
So he threatens him with a swarm of locusts — one of the most terri- 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 195 

ble scourges that ever fell upon the children of the East. They are 
to cover the face of the earth ; they are to fill the houses of Pharaoh 
and his servants, and eat up all that the hail has left. This threat 
alarmed the servants of Pharaoh, and they entreated the hardened 
monarch to yield. " Knowest thou not that in this unequal con- 
test, Egypt is already spoiled ? " So Moses and Aaron are called 
for, and a compromise is attempted. The men of Israel may go and 
serve the Lord, but their wives and children must be left behind. 
But to this proposal Moses will not listen. Hence he is driven out 
from the presence of Pharaoh, and the judgment comes. God causes 
an east wind to blow all that day and night, and the next day, the 
land is covered and darkened with the locusts. Swarm after swarm 
comes up from the east, and settles down upon the devoted country, 
till not a green thing is left in all the land of Egypt. And now 
the same thing is acted over as in the former instances. Pharaoh 
is affrighted and humbled. He confesses his sins, and prays to be 
forgiven. "Entreat the Lord only this once, that he will take 
awav the locusts, and I will let the people go." Moses, therefore, 
intercedos again, and again the judgment is removed. And again 
Pharaoh's heart is hardened, and he will not let the people go. 

S. — And now what does Moses do ? 

F. — Without going to the king with his usual message, Moses 
now stretches forth his hand towards heaven, and calls for darkness 
— a thick, impenetrable darkness, that may be felt. And instantly 
the orbs of heaven are, as it were, quenched. At any rate, they are 
so obscured and covered, that not a ray of light from them, for 
three whole days, falls upon the desolate land of Egypt. At the 
same time, there was light in all the dwellings of the children of 
Israel. And now Pharaoh is again aroused. He callp for Moses 
and Aaron, and tries to compound the matter with them : " You 
may take your wives and children, but leave your flocks and herds 
behind." But on this point, Moses is inflexible. He will make no 
concessions : " The flocks and herds must go with us ; there shall 
not a hoof be left behind." 



196 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

At this Pharaoh is enraged. He drives God's messengers from 
him, and tells them never to come into his presence again : '-'- In the 
day that ye see my face again, ye shall die." And Moses said, 
" Thou hast well spoken ; I will see thy face no more." 

S. — The prime object of these successive visitations was to attest 
the Divine authority of the mission of Moses. Had they any other 
object aside from this? 

F. — I think they had. They were aimed directly and designedly 
at the idolatries of Egypt, with a view to bring them into contempt. 
Thus, as the Egyptians were worshipers of the Nile, God turns it 
into blood ; and then causes it to breed myriads of frogs, to annoy 
and disgust its stupid votaries. As they worshiped cattle, God 
sends swarms of flies to torment their divinities, and a grievous 
murrain to destroy them. Among the objects of their worship 
were the sun, moon and stars. Hence, when these were eclipsed, 
their divinities utterly failed them. The Egyptian priests were 
fastidiously cleanly. When, therefore, the whole dust of Egypt was 
turned into lice, swarming alike upon priest and people, the wor- 
ship of their divinities was entirely suspended, and the magicians 
were constrained to confess, " This is the finger of God " 



CONVERSATION XXIY. 

THE DELIVERANCE OF THE PEOPLE.— The death plague.— Borrowing of the 
Egyptians. — Rameses. — Route of Hebrews. — Their number. — Pillar of cloud and pillar 
of fire. — Duration of stay in Egypt. — Feast of tabernacles. — Its institution. — The pur- 
suit by Pharaoh and his army. — Terror of the Hebrews. — First murmur of discontent. — 
Passage of the Red Sea, — Was it a miracle. 

Son. — God had now sent ten successive miraculous plagues upon 
Pharaoh and his people, with a view to humble them, and constrain 
them to send away the Israelites. But all had been in vain. Israel 
was still in bondage, and the heart of the monarch is harder than 
ever. Are this people never to be delivered ? Are God's promises 
in regard to them to fail ? 

F. — No ; Pharaoh is entirely in the hands of God, and the 
resources of his power are not exhausted. God will send one visit- 
ation more, and that shall be effectual. " About midnight," saith 
the Lord, " I will go out into the midst of Egypt, and all the first- 
horn in the land of Egypt shall die., from the first-born of Pharaoh 
that sitteth on the throne, unto the first born of the maid-servant 
that is behind the mill, and all the first-born of beasts. And there 
shall be a great cry throughout the land of Egypt ; but against the 
children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue. And the 
Egyptians shall come down unto you, and bow themselves before 
you, and say. Get ye out, and all the people that follow you. And 
after that, ye shall go out." 

S. — Here certainly is a most terrible and yet merciful prediction. 
What were the people directed to do in preparation for it ? 

F. — They were directed to go out among the Egyptians, and ask 
of them favors — valuable gifts, jewels of gold and of silver ; for God 
would not suffer his people to go out from their hard toil and ser- 
vice empty-handed. And the Lord gave the people favor in the 
sight of the Egyptians, and they gave to the children of Israel 
whatsoever they asked ; insomuch that it is said, " They spoiled the 
Egyptians." 



198 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

S. — Our translators say that the Israelites borrowed of the Egyp- 
tians. Is that the sense of the original ? 

i^.— Not necessarily. The words translated borrow and lend may 
as well be rendered ask and give. There is no intimation in the 
original of any fraudulent design on the part of the Israelites. 

aS'. — Was anything more to be done, in preparation for the coming 
judgment and deliverance ? 

F. — Yes, one thing more. Every householder in Israel was to 
take a lamb of a year old, without blemish ; and on the fourteenth 
day of the month at even the lamb was to be slain. The house- 
holder was then to take of the blood of the lamb, and sprinkle the 
door-posts of his house ; and the blood upon the door-posts was to 
be a sign to the destroying angel, that he might pass over the houses 
where it was sprinkled, and not enter into them to destroy. And 
as to the flesh of the lamb, they were to roast it, and eat it, that very 
night, with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs ; and so much 
of it as was not eaten that very night was to be burned in the fire. 

iS. — Of what Jewish festival was this the origin ? 

F. — The Passover — the most solemn annual festival of the Jews. 
It was first observed on the night when they went out of Egypt ; 
and ever afterwards observed on the fourteenth day of the first 
month.* The feast was to be kept seven days. 

>S'. — How were the people employed on the evening of the four- 
teenth day ? 

F. — It was a busy time in all the families of Israel. The paschal 
lambs were slain, the door-posts were sprinkled, the flesh was 
roasted, the unleavened bread was mixed, and all things were got 
in readiness, according to the commandment. 

And now the impending judgment fell. At midnight, the angel 
of the Lord smote all the first-born of Egypt, from Pharaoh down 
to his meanest servant. There was not a house of the Egj^ptians in 
which there was not one dead. 

jS. — And how was Pharaoh now affected ? 



*Answei'ing to a part of our March and April — on the first full moon after the Equinox. 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 199 

F. — He rose up in haste, and called for Moses and Aaron, and 
said unto them, " Rise up and get you forth from among my people, 
and take with you your wives and your children, your flocks and 
your herds, and all that ye have, and go, serve the Lord as ye have 
said." The Egyptians also were urgent upon the people, that they 
might be sent out of the land in haste ; for they said, " We be all 
dead men." And the Lord gave his people favor in the sight of the 
Egyptians, and they gave unto them silver and gold, and raiment — 
all that they desired. 

S. — And the Israelites, — what were they doing ? 

F. — Seizing the favorable moment, they commenced their journey 
out of Egypt immediately. They took their dough before it was 
leavened, with their kneading troughs and clothes upon their shoul- 
ders ; and as all things had been gotten in readiness previously, by 
the command of ^Nloses, they entered on their march at once. The 
place of their departure was Rameses, in the land of Goshen ; and 
traveling in a south-easterly direction, about twenty miles, they en- 
camped at Succoth. 

S. — How many left Egypt at this time ? 

F. — There were six hundred thousand footmen, besides women 
and children ; also a mixed multitude which went out with them, — 
probably not less than two millions in all. They took also their 
flocks and herds, Avhich were very numerous. Here, then, was a vast 
cavalcade — a vast collection of human beings and brute beasts, to h^ 
started on a sudden at the dead of night — to be marched out into 
the desert, they hardly knew whither. But then they had an expe- 
rienced and divinely commissioned leader, and, what was infinitely 
better, they had the infallible guidance of their covenant God. He 
went before in a pillar of cloud b}^ day, and of fire by night ; so that 
in following him, they could not mistake the path of duty, or of safety. 

aS'. — How long were the children of Israel in Egypt ? 

F. — About two hundred and fifteen 3'ears. 

S. — Is it likely that, in this time, they could have increased from 
seventy souls to the number of from one to two millions? 



200 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

E. — The statement is not incredible ; for, in the first place, when 
they went into Egypt, they were charged by Joseph to bring, not 
only their father, but their households with them. This included 
not only their wives and children, but their laborers and household 
servants. How many servants there were, we are not informed; 
but the males among them had all been circumcised, and they were 
considered as belonging to the people of God. Then we are told 
that the Israelites proper " increased abundantly, and that the land 
was filled with them." I do not suppose that any miracle of multi- 
plication took place ; for none was needed. Only allow that they 
were uncommonly blessed in this respect, that their children were 
numerous and healthy, that they married young, and constituted 
fruitful families, and the supposed difficulty disappears. 

S. — What is meant when it is said that the Children of Israel 
" went up harnessed out of Egpyt ? " 

F. — Not that they were all armed, but only that they marched in 
military order, rank and file, and not as a confused rabble. The 
early military education of Moses would enable him to arrange this 
matter successfully. 

S. — There is some difficulty in conceiving of the march of these 
two millions of people from Rameses to Succoth in a single night. 
They were aroused suddenly at or near midnight, on the fourteenth 
day of the first month. They eat what they can of the lamb, and 
burn the rest. They rush out among their Egyptian neighbors, to 
beg or borrow of them for the journey. They clutch everj^thing 
as it is, — their dough before it is leavened, their kneading troughs 
and clothes, — and hasten away before the morning. Their train 
extends for miles in length, — with their flocks and herds for many 
miles. Please consider this matter further and make it more plain 
to us. 

F. — It is easy to multiply difficulties in a case like this ; but they 
are not insuperable. As before remarked, the Israelites had been 
expecting to go for weeks, perhaps for months, and had been preparing 
for the journey. Four days previous, they were told to have their 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 201 

lambs in readiness, and told when to kill them. On the night of 
the fourteenth, they had probably been up all night, awaiting the 
summons ; and when it came, they were soon in their places, under 
their respective leaders and ready for the march. Those who were 
not at Rameses would join the company on the way ; those who 
had charge of the flocks were also in readiness, and all were in suc- 
cessful motion before morning. Probably no army was ever in a 
better condition to start at a moment's warning, than were these 
Israelites, when they went out of Egypt. 

aS'. — What injunctions were laid upon the Israelites soon after 
leaving Egypt ? 

F. — When they had come to their first encampment, the Lord 
took occasion to renew upon them the institution of the Passover, 
to be observed religiously in all their generations. This was not 
only a commemorative ordinance, designed to keep in mind their 
deliverance from Egypt, but it also had an onward aspect. It was 
a type, — and is so spoken of in many Scriptures, — a type of the 
deliverance of all true believers from a worse than Egyptian bond- 
age — the harder bondage of sin and death. It was as answering to 
the paschal lamb, that our Savior is so often called " the Lamb of 
God." He is also " our Passover slain for us." 

There was another injunction laid upon the Israelites in connec- 
tion Avith their deliverance from Egypt. As all the first-born in 
Israel were spared when the first-born in Egypt were destroyed, 
God claimed henceforth the first-born of Israel as in a peculiar 
sense his own. The first-born of clean beasts were to be offered in 
sacrifice ; while the first-born of unclean beasts, and of men, were 
to be redeemed by other offerings. Thus our Savior, who was the 
first-born of his mother, was redeemed by the offering of " two 
turtle doves, or two young pigeons " (Luke ii. 24)'. 

S. — When the Israelites left Egypt, why were they not led into 
Canaan by the nearest route, which would have brought them there 
in a few days ? 

F, — Because this would have led them through the land of the 



202 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

Philistines, and involved them in bloody and destructive wars. 
God preferred rather to lead them by the way of the Red sea. 

S. — You said that their first encampment was at Succoth, which 
signifies booths or tents. What annual festival was enjoined to 
commemorate this? 

F. — It was the feast of tabernacles^ that all their generations 
might know that the Lord made them to dwell in booths^ when 
he brought them up out of the land of Egypt. 

S. — What was the course of the Israelites after leaving Succoth ? 

F. — They pursued their journey eastward unto Etham, near the 
Red sea. From this point, instead of going directly forward round 
the northern extremity of the sea (now Suez) into Arabia, they 
were directed to turn southward, and encamp at Pihahiroth, 
between Migdol and the sea. This must have seemed a strange 
movement to the unbelieving in Israel, as it certainly was to Pha- 
raoh and his people, who constantly kept their spies upon them: 
For when Pharaoh learned what course the fugitives had taken, he 
said at once, " The wilderness hath hedged them in ; they are 
entangled in the wilderness ; up, let us pursue after them and bring 
them back." So he mustered all his chariots and horsemen, and 
madly rushed forth in pursuit of the Israelites. 

aS'. — It is repeatedly said in this narrative, that the Lord hardened 
the heart of Pharaoh ; and as frequently that Pharaoh hardened his 
own heart. How are these passages to be reconciled ? 

F. — I answer ; Pharaoh hardened his own heart, by voluntarily 
pursuing such a course as tended of necessity, as men are consti- 
tuted, to harden his heart. God may be said to have hardened his 
heart — not by any special agency, or by interfering in any way, with 
Pharaoh's freedom — but by continuing him in being, in the exer- 
cise of all his faculties and powers, and by continuing in regular 
operation all those laws of matter and mind, under the influence of 
which, as Pharaoh was acting, his heart must become dreadfully 
hard. Such a result could not have been prevented but by a mira- 
cle, which God Avas under no obligations to perform. In this view 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 203 

of the case, the two representations are perfectly harmonious. 
Pharaoh hardened his own heart voluntarily — by a voluntary per- 
sistence in sin ; and God hardened it providentially — by continuing 
him under his providential control, and not interposing to prevent 
the natural consequences of his own obstinacy and wickedness. 

aS'. — When the Israelites saw that the Egyptians were pursuing 
them, how were they affected ? 

F. — They were greatly terrified, and began at once to murmur 
against Moses and against God. 

S. — What did Moses do, in this emergency ? 

F. — He said unto the people, " Fear not ; stand still and see the 
salvation of the Lord which he will show you to-day ; for as to the 
Egyptians of whom ye are afraid, ye shall see their faces no more 
forever." And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the 
Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, 
and the Avaters were divided. And the children of Israel went into 
the midst of the sea upon dry ground, and the waters were a wall 
unto them upon the right hand and the left, and the Egyptians 
pursued after them into the midst of the sea, not seeming to know 
whither they went. And as it drew towards morning, and the 
Israelites were safely landed on the eastern side, Moses stretched 
out his hand again over the sea, and the divided Avaters returned 
unto their place, and whelmed the Egyptian army in one common 
ruin. There remained not so much as one of them to tell of their 
destruction. And when the sun arose, the Israelites saw their dead 
bodies drifting upon the shore. 

aS'. — How w^ere the people affected by this great deliverance ? 

F. — They rejoiced, and shouted in great earnest. They sung that 
triumphant song recorded in Exodus fifteenth : " I will sing unto 
the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously ; the horse and his rider 
hath he thrown into the sea. The Lord is my strength and my 
song, and he is become my salvation." 

aS'. — Do w^e know the particular part of the sea over which the 
Israelites crossed ? 



204 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

F. — We do not. We only know that it was near the northern 
extremity of the western arm of the sea, probably a few miles south 
of Suez. Here the sea is narrow, not more than two or three miles 
over, and could easily have been crossed in a single night. 

aS'. — Some think that there was no proper miracle in this dividing 
of the sea ; that the east wind drove back the waters, so as to leave 
a fording place dry. What do you think of such a statement ? 

F, — It does not fully answer to the description of the sacred 
writer, or to the magnitude of the event as referred to in other 
parts of the Bible. The waters were divided, and stood up as a wall 
on either side of the Israelites. And when Moses lifted his rod, 
they rushed back to their place, and the Egyptians were instantly 
destroyed. There is nothing gained by endeavoring to exclude the 
idea of miracle from this great and glorious deliverance. 



CONYEBSATIOISr XXV. 

FROM THE RED SEA TO SINAI.— The march to the desert.— Incidents by the way 
— Famine threatened. — Sighing for the flesh-pots of Egypt. — Bread of heaven. — First 
mention of the Sabbath since the creation. — A supply of quails. — Wonderful circum- 
stance of the manna. — A pot full preserved. — Moses smites the rock. — Remarkable 
result. — First battle. — Their enemies. — Where they came from. — First mention of 
Joshua. — Pious Jethro. — His advice. — Establishment of courts of justice. — Mount Sinai. 

Son. — After crossing the Red sea, where did the people go ? 

Father, — Moses marched his people three days' journey, eastward, 
into the desert of Shur, — where they found no water. And when 
they came to the Fountains at Marah, they could not drink of them, 
for they were bitter. Wherefore, Moses took a branch from a tree 
Avhich the Lord had showed him, and cast it into the waters, — and 
they were sweet. The next remove of the Israelites was in a 
south-easterly direction unto Elim, where were twelve fountains of 
pure water, and three-score and ten palm trees — a delightful place 
for their encampment. Yet they tarried not long to enjoy it ; but 
turning a south-easterly course, they came again upon the shore of 
the Red sea. From this point they traveled due east into what 
was called the Wilderness of Sin, or Sinai. 

aS'. — A full month had now elapsed since the children of Israel 
came out of Egypt, and the provisions which they brought with 
them were consumed. And what were they to do ? In a dry and 
barren desert, how were these two millions of people to be fed ? I 
do not much wonder that the faithless among them began to mur- 
mur and complain. "Why have ye brought np this multitude 
into the wilderness, to kill them with hunger ? Would to God 
that we had lived and died in Egypt, where we sat by the flesh-pots, 
and did eat bread to the full ? " What did the Lord say to them 
on this trying occasion ? 

F. — He said, "Behold I will rain bread from heaven for j^ou, and 
ye shall go out and gather a supply of it day by day. Let none of 
it be kept over from one day to another, except on the sixth day, 



206 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

when ye shall gather twice as much as on any other day ; for on 
the seventh clay, the Sabbath, it shall not be found." 

S. — Is not this the first mention, in the Scriptures, of the weekly 
Sabbath, after its institution ? 

F. — It is. There can be no doubt, however, that it was observed 
by the patriarchs ; since we know that they divided their time into 
weeks of seven days. The Sabbath, you perceive, is referred to 
here, not as a new institution, but as one already known, and in 
accordance with which the supply of manna was to be regulated. 

aS'. — What more did God do for Israel at this time ? 

F. — God manifested himself in visible glory to the congregation, 
reproved their murmurings, and promised them not only bread, but 
flesh to eat. So in the evening, vast multitudes of quails made 
their appearance, and covered the camp, and the people took of 
them as many as they needed. The supply of flesh, however, at 
this time was only temporary. On the following morning, as many 
of the quails as had not been killed, flew away. But the manna 
was a permanent provision. It continued to be dispensed, day by 
day, for forty years, until the people reached the promised land. 

S. — What was done to commemorate this wonderful supply of 
bread ? 

F. — God commanded Moses to take a pot, and fill it with manna, 
and lay it up for a witness to coming generations, that they might 
learn the goodness of God, and never distrust his providential care. 

S. — The people were now encamped in the Wilderness of Sin. 
Where were they next led ? 

F. — From the Wilderness of Sin, they pursued their journey east- 
ward, — stopping first at Dophkah, and then at Alush, and then at 
Rephidim, near to Mount Sinai. At this latter place, they were in 
distress for water, and began to murmur and complain. And the 
Lord commanded Moses to gather the people unto the rock Horeb, 
and in their presence to smite the rock with his rod. He did so ; 
and water in abundance poured forth from the smitten rock, and 
the wants of the congregation were supplied. 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 207 

aS'. — While the people were stopping at Rephidim, we are told 
that the Amalekites came upon them with an army and fought 
against them. Who were these Amalekites ? 

F. — They were a wandering tribe who lived in the deserts, sub- 
sisting, like the Bedouins of our day, in part, by plunder. They" 
had watched the movements of this great company just coming out 
of Egypt, and hoped that they might be an easy prey. But Moses 
directed Joshua, — of whom we now hear for the first time, and who 
was, by common consent, generalissimo of the armies of Israel, — to 
collect an army, and go out and fight against the Amalekites, while 
he stood on the top of a hill, with the rod of God in his hand. And 
Joshua did as he was commanded. Meanwhile, Moses was in his 
position on the hill, to pray for the success of his people. And so 
it was that when Moses lifted up his hands, Israel prevailed ; but 
when he let down his hands, Amalek prevailed. And lest the 
hands of Moses should be weary, Aaron and Hur stood on either 
side of him, and stayed them up.* And Amalek was beaten, and 
driven back before the armies of Israel. It was at this time that 
the Lord pronounced a curse upon Amalek, declaring that he should 
be cut off from being a people, — which curse was terribly executed 
in the days of Saul (See 1 Sam. xv). 

S. — We read of another event of interest which occurred at Re- 
phidim. What was it? 

F. — Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses, who resided not far from 
this place, came unto him, bringing his wife and children. And 
Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, and did obeisance to him, 
and took him to his tent. And he told him of all that the Lord 
had done unto Pharaoh and the Egyptians, of the wonderful deliver- 
ance of his people, and what had befallen them by the way. And 
Jethro rejoiced and said, " Blessed be the Lord who hath delivered 
you out of the hand of the Egyptians. Now I know that the Lord 
is greater than all gods ; for wherein the Egyptians dealt proudly, 

*Hur is supposed to have been the husband of Miriam, and brother-in-law to Moses and 
Aaron. 



208 CONVERSATIONS ON IKE BIBLE. 

he was above them." And Jethro offered sacrifices and a burnt 
offering unto the God of Israel, and all the elders of Israel came, 
and feasted with him upon the sacrifice. We are glad to record 
these things of pious Jethro, who was not only a wise and faithful 
man, but a sincere worshiper of the true God ; thus showing that 
true religion was not yet wholly obliterated in the nations that 
were not in visible covenant with Jehovah. 

S. — What good advice did Jethro give to Moses before he left 
Mm? 

E. — Observing that Moses was constantly occupied, from morning 
till evening, in hearing and deciding cases which came up among 
the people, he advised that a series of courts should be established, 
and that only the greater and more difficult questions should be 
brought unto Moses. " Choose you out of all the people able men, 
such as fear God and hate covetousness, and place them over the 
people, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, and rulers 
of fifties, and rulers of tens ; and let them judge the people at all 
seasons ; and it shall be that every great matter they shall bring 
unto thee, but every small matter they shall decide." This advice, 
so obviously reasonable, was accepted of Moses and of God ; and the 
inferior courts which had been recommended were established. 
The object of Jethro's visit having been accomplished, he returned 
to his own land. 

aS^ — On leaving Rephidim, where did the Israelites next pitch 
their tents ? 

F. — On an extended plain, directly at the foot of the ancient 
Sinai. Dr. Robinson speaks of it as a place admirably adapted to 
the use of the Israelites. The names Horeb and Sinai are used 
interchangeably in the Scriptures. The probability is that one of 
these names — perhaps Horeb — was given to this whole cluster of 
mountains, while Sinai denoted a single peak. 

We leave the congregation of Israel on the plain in front of Sinai, 
where they were to receive their law, and to abide for some con- 
siderable time. 



CONVERSATION XXVI. 

ISRAEL AT MOUNT SINAI.— The seventy elders of Israel.— Who they were.— God 
becomes the civil head of the nation. — Getting ready to meet God. — Danger of the 
Mount. — The trumpet sounded. — What it was. — Wonderful sights and sounds. — Majesty 
of God. — Delivery of the law. — Sprinkling the blood of the covenant. — Solemn cere- 
mony. — Seeing God. — The priesthood appointed. — Receiving the ten commandments. — 
The golden calf. — What Moses did. — Building the tabernacle. — Aaron's two sons killed. 
— Organizing an army. 

Son. — Had the Israelites any organized civil government previ- 
ous to the giving of the law at Sinai ? And if so, what was it ? 

Father. — The most ancient Hebrew government, like that of the 
surrounding tribes, was patriarchal. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob 
governed their households, with an authority well-nigh unlimited. 
The twelve sons of Jacob ruled their respective families in the 
same way. But when their descendants had become sufficiently 
numerous to form large tribes, each tribe had a prince or ruler of 
its own, called, " the head of the house of his father " (Num. i. 
4-16). And when the tribes had increased to such a degree as to 
require a more thorough supervision, they were divided into sec- 
tions or clans, each of which was subject to a head or chief. These 
subordinate chiefs, of which there were fifty-eight, together with 
the heads of the tribes, — of which there were twelve, — constituted 
the seventy elders of Israel (Ex. xxiv. 1). 

In addition to these,, there was a learned class, whose duty it was 
to act as readers and scribes, and to keep the genealogies of the 
people. They are called officers, in the fifth chapter of Exodus. 
Of the appointment of judges, at the suggestion of Jethro, we have 
just heard. These were distributed through all the families and 
tribes of Israel, and brought the speedy administration of justice to 
every man's door. 

S. — Did Moses attempt to disturb that order of things which 
existed before his time ? 

F. — He did not. Other institutions were ingrafted upon it, and 



210 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 



connected with it ; but the order itself was continued down to the 
end of the Jewish commonwealth. 

S, — What was the theocracy said to have been established at the 
foot of Sinai ? 

F. — It was God's civil government over the nation of Israel. 
He was their sovereign Creator and Disposer already, — as he is of 
all creatures, — and had a right to do with them as he pleased. He 
was also their covenant God ; and they were, in a peculiar sense, his 
covenant people — his church. But God now proposes to become 
their civil head; to give them a code of laws; to set up a civil 
government over them ; to be, — as Isaiah expresses it, — " their 
Judge, their Lawgiver, and their King" (Chap, xxiii. 32). And he 
proposes that this shall be done with their own consent. Accord- 
ingly he summons Moses to meet him in the mount, and, through 
him, makes the proposition to the children of Israel. To this the 
people answered, with one accord, '•'•All that the Lord hath spoken 
will we do., and he obedient.'''' 

S. — Please tell us what was done to prepare the people for a 
solemn interview with their King ? 

F. — Moses says to them, " Be ready against the third day ; for 
on the third day, the Lord will come down, in the sight of all the 
people, upon mount Sinai. And beware, lest ye come near the 
mount to touch it ; for whosoever toucheth it shall surely die." 

aS'. — What took place on the third day ? 

F. — On the morning of that day, there were thunders and light- 
nings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the 
trumpet exceeding loud,* so that all the people that were in the 
camp trembled. And Mount Sinai was altogether in a smoke, 
because the Lord descended upon it in fire. 

S. — What more did God say and do on this awful occasion ? 

F. — When God had made this exhibition of himself with a view to 
impress the people with a holy awe, he proceeded to thunder forth, in 

*Not any trumpet made with human hands. It was the voice of the archangel and the 
trump of God. 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 213 

an audible voice, from the top of the mount, the ten commandments. 
And when the people heard the thunderings, and the voice of the 
trumpet, and saw the lightnings and the mountain quaking, they re- 
moved and stood afar ofp. And they said unto Moses, " Speak thou 
with us, and we will hear ; but let not God speak with us, lest we die." 

Following this, the Lord proceeded to give to the people, through 
Moses, a variety of laws, some relating to his worship, but more 
relating to their own social and civil affairs. He also promises to 
send his Angel before them, to keep them in the Avay, and bring 
them into the promised land ; but they must consent to obey and 
follow him, and cautiously avoid all connection with the surrounding 
idolatries. When Moses brought this message to the people, they 
again answered with one accord, " All that the Lord hath said will 
we do, and be obedient." 

S. — A solemn compact or covenant had now been entered into 
between God and this people, and how was it confirmed ? 

F. — After the usual patriarchal manner, by sacrifice, Moses 
builded an altar under the hill, having twelve pillars, according to the 
twelve tribes of Israel ; and he deputed young men to officiate as 
priests, — for the Levitical priesthood was not yet established, — who 
offered burnt offerings and peace offerings unto the Lord. And 
Moses put half of the blood in basins, and the other half he sprinkled 
upon the altar. He also took the book of the covenant, which he 
had written out, and read it aloud in the hearing of the people ; and 
the people answered again, in the most solemn manner over the 
sacrifice : " All that the Lord hath commanded we will do, and be 
obedient." Then Moses took the blood in the basins, and sprinkled 
it on the people saying, " This is the blood of the covenant which 
the Lord hath made with you." Thus was the compact or cove- 
nant between God and the nation of Israel most solemnly ratified. 
They had chosen the Lord to be their king, had put themselves 
under his direction, and promised obedience ; and he had consented 
to be their Ruler, to go before them into the promised land and to 
order all their affairs in wisdom and goodness. 



214 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 



S. — What followed this solemn transaction ? 

F. — God was now pleased to admit the representatives of his 
people to a nearer vision of himself. He invited Moses and Aaron, 
with his two sons, and the seventy elders of Israel to come up 
higher into the mount, where it is said, "they saw the God or 
Israel " (Ex. xxiv. 10). They saw, I suppose, no distinct similitude, 
but a dazzling brightness underneath which was a paved work as of 
sapphire, like unto the body of heaven in its clearness. 

Moses was now called to a longer waiting upon God in the 
mount ; and so, leaving the charge of the people with Aaron and 
Hur, and taking with him only his lieutenant, Joshua, he went up 
high into the mount of God ; and the glory of the Lord covered the 
mount. And having waited seven days, he heard the voice of the 
Lord calling him to come up higher ; and he went up alone into 
the midst of the cloud, and was there with God forty days and 
nights. In this time, God gave him minute instructions respect- 
ing the ark of the covenant, and the tabernacle of the congrega- 
tion, with all , its appurtenances and furniture. He directed him 
to set apart Aaron and his sons to the service of the priesthood. 
He appointed two learned Israelites — Bezaleel of the tribe of 
Judah, and Aholiab of the tribe of Dan — to oversee the building 
of the tabernacle ; and he gave to Moses two tables of stone, on 
which were inscribed with his own finger the law of the ten com- 
mandments. 

S. — How were the people affected during the long absence of 
Moses ? 

F. — They became impatient. They did not know what had be- 
come of their leader. They affected to fear least he had perished in 
the mountain. At any rate, they wished to be gone ; and so they 
went to Aaron, and told him to make them gods which should go 
before them. And Aaron, either from fear, or from some worse 
motive, — told them to break off their golden ear-rings and jewels, 
and bring them unto him ; and he took their jewels, and melted 
them in a furnace, and wrought for them a golden calf. And they 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 215 

worshiped before it and said, " These be thy gods, O Israel, which 
brought thee up out of the land of Eg3^pt." 

S. — How is this strange transaction to be accounted for ? 

J^. — It can be accounted for only on the supposition that the 
people, during their long residence in Egj'pt, had become fearfully 
contaminated with its idolatries. Hence their desire to have an 
image in shape like a calf, which was one of the idols of Egypt. 
Various suppositions have been made to exculpate Aaron, but I 
think without success. If he did not go heartily into the measure 
he was afraid to oppose it. He assisted in collecting the materials 
and in casting the image ; and when it was finished, he built an 
altar before it, and proclaimed a feast ; and the people sat down to 
eat and to drink and rose up to play. 

S. — What did God say to Moses,, who was now with him in the 
mount? 

F. — He said, " Go, get thee down ; for thy people have corrupted 
themselves. They have turned aside quickly out of the Avay which 
I commanded them. They have made them a molten calf, and 
worshiped it, and offered sacrifice before it. Now, therefore, let 
me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I 
may consume them ; and I Avill make of thee a great nation." But 
Moses, though shocked and confounded, as he must have been, in- 
terceded most earnestly and successfully for his guilty people. He 
pleaded God's promises to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. He 
pleaded, especially, the honor of the Divine character and name. 
Wherefore should the Egyptians say, " For mischief did he bring 
forth the children of Israel, to stay them in the mountains, and to 
consume them from the face of the earth ! " 

S. — Did this earnest intercession prevail with God? 

F. — It did. Moses was heard, and the Lord's anger was stayed. 
He went quickly down out of the mount, with the two tables of 
stone in his hand. And when he drew near to the camp, and saw the 
calf, and the people singing and dancing around it, he was so fired 
with holy indignation that he threw down the tables of stone, and 

14 



216 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

broke them in pieces. He then seized the molten calf, and cast it 
into the fire. He ground it to powder, dissolved it in some chemical 
fluid prepared for the purpose, and made its worshipers drink of it. 
He next called Aaron to an account for what he had done. Aaron 
pleaded his feat of the people, and his inability to resist their wishes, 
but not, probably, in a manner to satisfy his brother. Moses now 
proclaimed, in the gate of the camp, " Who is on the Lord's side ? 
Let all such come together unto me." And the children of Levi, — 
of which tribe were Moses and Aaron, — came promptly forward at 
the command of their great leader. At the command of Moses, 
they took every man his sword, and went through the camp, slaying 
all those, without distinction, who had taken a leading part in this 
revolt from God ; and there fell, that day, about three thousand men. 

S. — What did Moses now say to the people ? 

F. — He told them that they had committed a great sin. Never- 
theless, said he, '' I will go up again unto the Lord. Peradventure, 
1 may make an atonement for your sin." And Moses returned 
unto the Lord in the mount, and said, "Oh! this people have sinned 
a great sin. Yet now, if thou wilt, forgive their sin ; but if not^ 
blot me, I pray thee, out of the book that thou hast written." And 
the Lord said, " Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I 
blot out of my book. Go thou and lead this people unto the place 
of which I have spoken. I will not go up, as before, in the midst 
of them; but my Angel shall go up before thee, and bring thee into 
the land which I promised to thy fathers." 

S. — What could Moses have meant, when he prayed, on certain 
conditions, to be blotted from God's book ? 

F, — The sense is quite evident, I think, from the connection. 
God had said, " Let me alone, that I may consume this wicked 
people in a moment ; and I will spare thee, and make of thee 
a great nation." But Moses says, " iVb, no ; I cannot consent 
to such a proposition. If thou art determined to destroy this 
people, then destroy me with them. I would not be spared to 
see their ruin." Such, as it seems to me, is the purport of the good 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 217 

man's prayer, — evincing the inextinguishable love and kindness of 
his heart. 

S. — In consequence of what God said, that henceforward he would 
go before his people, and not in the midst of them, what did Moses do ? 

F. — He took one of the tents or tabernacles (for the great public 
tabernacle was not yet built) and pitched it without the camp, at a 
little distance from it, and called it the tabernacle of the congrega- 
tion. And the cloudy pillar stood above it, and when Moses 
entered into the tabernacle, the pillar descended and stood at the 
door. And when the people saw it, they stood up and worshiped, 
every one in his tent door. 

S. — What direction did God give to Moses, preparatory to his 
going a second time into the mount ? 

F, — " Hew thee two tables of stone, like unto the first, and I will 
write upon them the words that were on the first tables which thou 
didst break ; and be ready in the morning, and come up to me in 
the top of Sinai." And Moses prepared the tables, and went up 
with them into the mount ; and the Lord met him there, and pro- 
claimed his name and his attributes thus : " The Lord, the Lord 
God; merciful and gracious, long-suffering, abundant in goodness 
and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity, trans- 
gression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty." And 
when Moses heard these words, he made haste and bowed himself 
to the earth and worshiped. Again he interceded for his guilty 
people ; and God promised, on condition of future obedience, that he 
would still go with them. He wrote the ten commandments on the 
tables which Moses had brought, and dismissed him to go down to 
the congregation, when he had remained, in communion with God, 
another forty days. And when Moses came down to the people, his 
face shone with a heavenly luster, so that his friends were afraid to 
approach him. He was constrained to put a veil on his face, except 
when he went into the tabernacle of the Lord. 

aS'. — On his return to the people, what great work did Moses 
undertake ? 



218 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

F. — He commenced taking np collections for the building of the 
tabernacle. And so abundant was the liberality of the people, that 
a sufficient sum was soon furnished, and placed in the hands of 
those who did the work. The contributions at this time, in silver 
and gold, are supposed to have amounted to more than a million of 
dollars — a prodigious sum to be contributed by these fugitives 
from bondage, — proving also that their numbers must have been as 
great as Moses represents. While the tabernacle was building, the 
holy garments for the priests, and the breast-plate of diamonds and 
cunning work were got in readiness ; and on the first day of the 
first month, — a j^ear lacking fourteen days from the time that the 
Israelites came out of Egj^pt, — the tabernacle was put up and con- 
secrated, and Aaron and his sons were set apart and attired for the 
holy priesthood. The ark or chest containing the two tables of 
stone was deposited behind the veil in the most holy place, Avhere it 
could be approached only by the high priest, and by him only once 
in a year. And when all had been finished, according to the com- 
mandment, Moses blessed the congregation ; and the glory of the 
Lord so filled the tabernacle, that Moses for a time was not able to 
enter it. And here the pillar of cloud and fire abode all the while 
that the children of Israel were in the wilderness. When it was 
taken up, they journeyed after it, and when it was let down they 
rested, until they came to the promised land. 

;S'. — When did the work of the priests commence in the new 
tabernacle ? 

F. — On the eighth day of the first month, the offerings were 
made. At the close of the service, Moses and Aaron blessed the 
people in the name of the Lord ; and the glory of the Lord was 
most illustriously manifested. A fire came forth from the Lord, 
and consumed the burnt offering and the fat ; which when the 
people saw, they shouted and worshiped the Lord with their faces 
to the earth. 

S. — In what way was the joy of the occasion interrupted ? 

_F. — Nadab and Abihu, the two eldest of Aaron's sons, — beine 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 219 

unduly elated with the honors of the priesthood, and perhaps flushed 
with wine, undertook to offer incense at a time, and in a manner, 
not appointed by the Lord. They took their censers and incense, 
and instead of taking fire from the altar, they put on common fire, 
and offered it up before the Lord. The consequence was, that fire 
came forth from the Lord, and killed them in an instant. Of course, 
Moses and Aaron, and all concerned about the tabernacle, were 
terrified and shocked. But Moses reminded his distressed brother 
of one of the important sayings of God ; " I will be sanctified in 
them that come nigh me, and before all the people will I be glori- 
fied;" and Aaron held his peace. The bodies of the deceased 
young men Avere immediately removed, and the services of the day 
were not allowed to be interrupted. This injunction, however, was 
given in respect to the priests : " Drink no wine, neither strong 
drink, when ye go into the tabernacle of the' congregation, lest ye 
die. This shall be a statute forever throughout your generations." 

S. — When did the Israelites keep their second Passover ? 

F. — They kept it on the fourteenth day of the first month — ^just 
one year from the time of their departure out of Egypt. And this 
seems to have been their last Passover, until they had crossed the 
Jordan, and entered the land of Canaan. The difficulty of procur- 
ing, in the desert, fine flour for the unleavened bread may have been 
a reason why the Passover was for so many years intermitted. 

S. — What important event took place shortly after the Passover ? 

F. — On the flrst day of the second month a command was issued 
that the men of w^ar in the congregation should be numbered; and 
the number of them (excluding the Levites) was found to be 
603,550. 

aS'. — After the enrolling of the men of war, how were they 
marshaled? 

F. — They were divided into four battalions, and formed into a 
hollow square. In the center of the square, was the tabernacle of 
the congregation, surrounded by the priests, and these surrounded 
by the tents of the Levites. On the east side of the square, which 



220 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

was the front, were the tents of Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun ; on 
the south side were the tents of Reuben, Simeon, and Gad ; on the 
west side were the tents of Ephraim, Manassah, and Benjamin ; and 
on the north side were the tents of Dan, Naphtali, and Asher, 
Such was the order of the Israelites' encampment, and such the 
method of their march, — not in disorder and confusion, but as a 
regularly drilled and disciplined body. When the pillar of cloud 
was taken up from the tabernacle, the trumpet was sounded. Then 
the standard of Judah was raised, and the three tribes which 
belonged to it set forward. Next, the standard of Reuben's camp 
was raised, and the three tribes in its connection advanced. Then 
followed, in like manner, the standards of Ephraim and of Dan, 
with the connected tribes. Meanwhile, the Levites had taken 
down the tabernacle, and with a part of it loaded on wagons, and a 
part carried on their shoulders or in their hands, were marching in 
the center. Shortly after this enrolling and marshaling of the host, 
the cloud was lifted up from the tabernacle, the trumpet sounded, 
and the people were summoned to depart from the foot of Sinai, 
where they had rested about a year. 



CONVERSATION XXYII. 

THE ISRAELITES AT KADESH.— Leaving Sinai.— Dissatisfaction.— A supply of 
meat provided. — Aaron's jealousy of Moses. — His Ethiopian wife. — The sister of Moses 
smitten with leprosy. — Spies sent into Canaan. — Their report and its results. — Instant 
death of the spies. — The command to go back into the wilderness. — An insurrection. — 
Awful destruction of the insurgents. — Budding of Aaron's rod. — Its testimony. 

Son. — On leaving Sinai, in what direction did the Israelites 
travel ? 

Father. — The}^ went a three days' journey, in a north-easterly 
direction, unto Taberah; but the people grew weary, began to 
complain, and some of them loitered in their march. Wherefore 
a fire from the Lord broke out upon them, and consumed many 
who were in the rear of the camp. But Moses prayed for them, 
and the fire was quenched. 

S. — Shortly after this, the people were again dissatisfied, and 
begun to cry for flesh. " We remember the fish which we did eat 
in Egypt, the cucumbers and melons, the leeks and onions. But 
noAV our soul is dried up. There is nothing at all but this manna, 
and our soul loatheth this light bread." What did Moses do, when 
he heard these murmurings ? 

F. — He went as usual to the Lord, and asked his help, and the 
Lord answered him : '' Go tell this people, to-morrow ye shall have 
flesh. Ye shall eat it, not one day, nor two, nor twenty, but a 
whole month, until ye are satisfied and glutted wdth it." 

S. — Was this strange promise fulfilled ? 

F. — It was. There arose a wind from the sea, and brought up 
an immense quantity of quails, such as they had met with once 
before, and they fell around the camp a day's journey on either 
side ; and the people gathered them till they were more than satis- 
fied. But labile they were feasting and rioting upon them, the 
Lord smote them with a malignant disease, — perhaps the natural 
effect of over-eating, — and many of them died. 

S. — Where do we next find the congregation of Israel ? 



222 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

F. — At Hazeroth, where they rested several days. It was here 
that Miriam and Aaron gave vent to their envy against Moses — a 
spirit which they had indulged, perhaps, ever after the affair of the 
golden calf. They reproached him on account of what they were 
pleased to call his Ethiopian wife. They said also, " Hath the 
Lord spoken only by Moses ? Hath he not spoken also by us ? " 
These murmurings may have been uttered privately ; but the Lord 
heard them, and summoned the parties to meet him at the door of 
the tabernacle. He cleared and commended Moses, but sharply 
reproved Miriam and Aaron ; and to punish the former, who seems 
to have been the chief instigator, he smote her at once with leprosy. 
And when Aaron looked upon his sister, behold she was a leper, 
as white as snow. And Aaron said unto Moses, " Alas ! my brother, 
I beseech thee lay not this sin upon us. Let not our sister become 
to us as one dead. And Moses cried unto the Lord, and Miriam's 
leprosy was healed. Nevertheless, she was shut out of the camp, 
as one unclean, seven days. 

aS'. — Where did this great multitude next encamp ? 

F. — On leaving Hazeroth, they pursued a north-easterly course, 
and, after one or two stops, arrived at Kadesh, in the wilderness of 
Paran. They were now on the southern border of Canaan, the 
promised land — the place whence Moses had expected all along to 
enter it. From this place he sent spies — one from each tribe, to go 
up into the land of Canaan, search it out, and bring back a report 
unto the people. So the spies went up into the southerly part of 
Canaan, traversed it in various directions, and, after forty days, 
returned to the camp of Israel, bringing with them some of the 
fruits of the land. 

S. — What report did they bring of their exploration ? 

jP. — All, with the exception of two, brought back a discouraging 
report. " It is a good country, but the people be strong that dwell 
there. The cities are walled, and very great. We saw giants, the 
sons of Anak there. We are not able to go up against this people, 
for they are stronger than we." 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE, 223 

S. — How were the congregation affected by this report of the 
spies ? 

F. — They were greatly distressed, and began immediately to 
mnrmnr against Moses, and against God. ''Wherefore have ye 
brought us to this land, to fall by the sword, and that our wives 
and our little ones should be a prey ? Let us make a captain, and 
return into Egypt." It was in vain that Moses and Aaron and 
Caleb and Joshua endeavored to pacify and encourage the people. 
They would not be diverted from their purpose, and were ready to 
stone those who labored to withstand them. 

S. — How did those who withstood them escape ? 

F. — At this critical moment, the Lord interposed. He appeared 
in his glory at the door of the tabernacle, and, addressing Moses, 
said : " How long shall this people provoke me ? How long ere they 
will believe me, after all the signs that I have wrought among 
them? I will smite them with pestilence, and utterly disinherit 
them ; and I will make of thee a nation greater and mightier than 
they." But Moses fell down and interceded for his guilty people, 
as he had done once before, on the top of Sinai. He pleaded espe- 
cially the honor and glory of God ; that the honor of his name was 
concerned ; that if he destroyed this people the surrounding nations 
would hear of it, and would say : '' Because the Lord was not able 
to bring them into the land which he promised to their fathers, 
therefore hath he slain them in the wilderness. Pardon therefore, 
I beseech thee, the iniquity of thy people, according to the greatness 
of thy mercy." 

S. — Did the Lord hear and answer this powerful intercession ? 

F. — He did in part. He said to Moses : '' I have pardoned, ac- 
cording to thy word ; but truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled 
with the glory of the Lord. And as for these men, who have seen 
my glory and my miracles, and have tempted me now these ten 
times, and have not hearkened unto my voice, surely they shall not 
see the land which I promised to their fathers, but their carcasses 
shall fall in this wilderness. But your children, which ye said 



224 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 



should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall inherit the 
land. To-morrow turn ye, and get you again into the wilderness 
hj the way of the Red Sea and wander there for forty years, until 
the entire multitude of you who were twenty years old and upward 
when ye came out of Egypt (with the exception only of Caleb and 
Joshua) shall have perished from the earth." To sanction this 
terrible denunciation, God smote the ten spies, who brought back 
an evil report of the land, with instant death. 

S. — What was the effect of this dreadful denunciation upon the 
congregation of Israel ? 

F. — They were stunned and confounded by it. They mourned 
greatly, and declared themselves willing to incur any danger, if they 
might be permitted to go up at once, and take possession of the 
promised land. So earnest were they in this matter, that, in oppo- 
sition to the warnings of Moses and the command of God, they 
equipped themselves, and went the next morning to fight the 
Amalekites, whose hostile bands were hovering round them. But 
the Lord was not with them and they could not prosper. They 
were smitten before their enemies, who pursued them even unto 
Hormah. 

S. — What other painful incidents occurred, while the Israelites 
were at Kadesh? 

F. — Here occurred the formidable insurrection under Korah, 
Dathan, and Abiram. Korah was a great-grandson of Levi ; and 
other Levites, to the number of two hundred and fifty, Avere con- 
federate with him. Dathan, Abiram, and the other leading insur- 
gents, were of the tribe of Reuben. The complaint of the Levites 
was, that Moses and Aaron took too much upon them, seeing that 
all the congregation were holy, and that God was in the midst of 
them all alike. To test this matter, Moses told them to take their 
censers on the morrow, and put fire in them, and come to the door of 
the tabernacle, and the Lord would show who among them he had 
chosen to be his priests. 

The complaint of the Reubenites was the usual one, that Moses 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 225 



and Aaron had led this great multitude out of Egypt — a land of 
plenty, into the wilderness to consume them. 

On the morrow, Korah and his company appeared promptly at 
the tabernacle with their censers and incense, and most of the con- 
gregation seemed to be with them. And the glory of the Lord 
appeared unto all the congregation. And the Lord said unto 
Moses, '' Speak unto the congregation that they separate them- 
selves from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram." And the 
people did so. Then Moses said, " Hereby shall ye know that the 
Lord hath sent me to do all these works. If these men die the 
common death of all men, or if they visited after the ordinary visi- 
tation of men, then the Lord hath not sent me. But if the earth 
open her mouth, and swallow them up, and they go down alive into 
the pit, then shall ye understand that these men have provoked the 
Lord." Moses had scarcel}^ done speaking, when the ground clave 
asunder under the tents of these wicked men, and swallowed them 
all up ; and they Avent down alive into the pit, with all that per- 
tained to them, and they perished from among the congregation. 
At the same time, there came out a fire from the Lord, and con- 
sumed the two hundred and fifty Levites who came with Korah to 
the tabernacle to offer incense. 

S. — It would seem as though the issue of this rebellion were 
enough to prevent all similar attempts in future. 

F. — And yet it did not ; for on the very next day the conspiracy 
was renewed. A portion of the congregation began to murmur 
against Moses and Aaron, saying : " Ye have killed the people of 
the Lord." But as the tumult increased, the glory of the Lord 
appeared again at the door of the tabernacle, and a voice came forth 
to Moses and Aaron : " Get you up from among this people, that I 
may consume them in a moment." And no sooner was the threat 
pronounced, than it began to be executed. A plague broke out in 
the congregation, and hundreds were dying of it. In this* dreadful 
emergency, Aaron, at the command of Moses, seized his censer, and 
put fire upon it, and ran into the midst of the congregation to make 



226 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

atonement for the people. And he stood between the dead and the 
living, and the plague was stayed, — not, however, until fourteen 
thousand and seven hundred of the rebellious people were de- 
stroyed. Thus early did God begin to cut off the adult portion of 
this people, and fulfill his threat that they should not enter Canaan. 

S. — What was done at this time to prevent all future complaints 
respecting the priesthood ? 

F, — Moses proposed a test, to which the people consented. The 
elders of the tribes were to bring each an almond rod to the taber- 
nacle, with the name of his tribe inscribed upon it. Aaron also was 
to bring a rod for the tribe of Levi. These rods were to be laid up 
in the tabernacle over night ; and the rod which, in the morning 
had budded, was to indicate the Lord's pleasure as to the priest- 
hood. All this was done accordingly ; and when the rods w^ere 
examined in the morning, it was found that Aaron's rod alone had 
budded ; and not only budded, but it had blossomed and bore fruit. 
And God commanded that Aaron's rod should be laid up in the 
tabernacle for a witness, to put an end to the murmurings of the 
people. 

The Israelites had now been for a time at Kadesh, and had passed 
through some of the most exciting and awful scenes. They were 
soon to leave and enter upon their long sojourn in the desert. We 
will follow them in our next conversation. 



CONVERSATION XXYIII. 

THE SOJOURN IN THE DESERT.— Wandering in the desert.— Their occupation.— 
Providence of God. — Their second encampment at Kadesh. — The sister of Moses dies. 
— Water again brought from the rock. — Moses angered.— Its results.— Death of Aaron. 
— Conquest of Canaan begun. — The fiery serpents. — Entering the promised land. — The 
device of the Moabites and Midianites. — Balaam slain. — Joshua chosen leader. — Cities 
of refuge. 

Son. — On leaving Kadesh, in what direction did the Israelites 



move 



Father. — They took their journey backward into the wilderness, 
as the Lord had directed; and in this wilderness they sojourned 
almost thirty-eight years — forty years from the time of their leaving 
Egypt — until nearly all the adults who came out of Egypt were 
dead. How they spent their time during this long and trying 
period, we are not particularly informed. In Numbers, chap, xxxiii., 
we have the names of sixteen places which they successively occu- 
pied. Probably they occupied some of them more than once. It 
should be remembered that they were a nomadic people, as were 
their fathers before them. In Egypt, they had been shepherds ; and 
now that they had come out into the desert with their flocks and 
herds, they probably wandered from one place to another, where 
they could best find pasturage and water ; for it must be remem- 
bered that northern Arabia is not all sand and rock. Many places 
are fertile and capable of sustaining, as they always have done, a 
large population. Meanwhile the covenant God of the Israelites 
took the best possible care of them. Their clothes did not wax old 
on their backs, nor their shoes on their feet ; their supply of bread 
was continued constantly, day by day ; and their flocks Avould 3'ield 
them milk and flesh. We hear of no murmurings or rebellions 
during this long period. The spirit of rebellion was effectually 
subdued at Kadesh, and the old half-heathenized, Eg-vptiauized part 
of the congregation was passing rapidly away. On the whole, cop- 
sidering the previous habits and customs of this people, and their 



228 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

means of support and improvement, we may hope that these eight 
and thirty years were not spent unpleasantly or unprofitably. It 
was to them a season of trial and discipline, but we hope not one of 
essential discomfort. 

S. — Did they ever return to Kadesh ? 

F. — They did. At the beginning of the thirty-ninth year after 
the exode from Egypt, we find the Israelites wending their way 
northward in the direction of Canaan. They arrived at Kadesh in 
the first month — the place of their encampment so many years be- 
fore. Here Miriam, the sister of Moses, died and was buried. 
While here, the supply of water failed, and the congregation were 
distressed ; so they began to murmur, as of old, against Moses and 
against God. And the Lord said to Moses : " Take the rod, and 
gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and 
speak ye unto the rock before their eyes ; and it shall give forth his 
water." Moses did so. He assembled the congregation before the 
rock, and said to them, with a criminal impatience : " Hear now, ye 
rebels ; must we fetch you water out of the rock ? " And Moses 
smote the rock twice, and the water gushed out abundantly. But God 
Avas displeased with him for the spirit he had manifested, and denied 
him the privilege of leading his people into Canaan. He might go to 
the top of Pisgah, and see it with his eyes, but he must not enter it. 

S. — What was the intention of Moses in coming to Kadesh the 
second time ? 

F. — It was his expectation, undoubtedly, to enter Canaan from 
that place ; but he found all the passes secured by the Canaanites 
and Amalekites, with whom he did not care to engage in war. He 
next presented request to the king of Edom to pass easterly 
through his borders, promising to injure nothing, and to pay for all 
that he received ; but the king of Edom would not consent, and 
threatened, if the Israelites entered his country, to give them battle. 
Hence nothing remained to the great leader of Israel, but to turn 
southward, compass the land of Edom, and go up into Canaan on 
its eastern border. 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 229 

S. — What took place, on this journey, at Moserah, on mount Hor ? 

F. — Here Aaron died and was buried. Being forewarned of his 
death, Moses took off from him his priestly garments, and put them 
upon Eleazar his son. He then went up with him into the mount- 
ain, where the venerable priest died. And all Israel mourned for 
him thirty days. 

S. — What occurred during this season of mourning ? 

F. — The Israelites were suddenly attacked by Arad, a king in the 
south of Canaan, who took some of the people prisoners. But the 
Israelites went out against him, discomfited him, and destroyed his 
cities. This was the beginning of the conquest of Canaan. 

aS'. — The Israelites having now reached the southernmost point of 
their journey, what course did they pursue ? 

F. — They turned northward, skirting the eastern borders of 
Edom and Moab, with neither of which nations they were permitted 
to go to war. It was in this part of their journey that the Israel- 
ites were bitten by fiery flying serpents, and miraculously healed 
by looking at the brazen serpent, set up by Moses for their deliver- 
ance. On their way northward, they passed the brook Zered, and 
the river Aman, which rise in the eastern mountains, and run west- 
ward into the Dead Sea. These are said to have been the first 
rivers which the Israelites had seen, after leaving the Nile in 
Egypt. 

aS'. — On coming to the country of the Amorites, what did Moses 
do? 

F. — He sent a message to Sihon, their king, asking permission to 
pass through his land. But instead of giving his consent, Sihon 
gathered his people together, and came out to fight against Israel. 
And the children of Israel smote him with the edge of the sword, 
took his cities from him, and dwelt in them. They also took Jazer, 
another city of the Amorites ; and pushing still further north, they 
approached Bashan, where Og, the giant, held his reign. This mon- 
ster of a man drew out his army, and gave battle to the Israelites. 
But the armies of Israel prevailed against him, slew Og and his 



230 CONVEESATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

sons, and all his people. They took from him three-score cities, all 
fenced with high walls, gates, and bars. 

S. — xA^fter this victory, what course did the Israelites take ? 

F. — They fell back to the plains of Moab, on the east side of the 
Jordan, opposite Jericho. And here the journey ings of the Israel- 
ites may be said to have terminated. From this point, in the follow- 
ing spring, they crossed the Jordan, and entered the promised land. 

S. — How were the kings of Moab and Midian affected by the 
near approach of the Israelites to them ? 

F. — They were greatly alarmed, and, not daring to engage them 
in battle, they sent messengers to Balaam, a celebrated Chaldean 
diviner, begging that he would come and curse Israel for them. 
Balaam took counsel of God on the subject ; for, heathen as he was, 
he had some knowledge of the true God, and was favored, at times, 
with divine revelations. But God would not suffer him to go and 
curse Israel. 

S. — When Balaam's refusal was made known to the king of 
Moab, what did he do ? 

F. — He sent other and more honorable messengers, with a promise 
of still richer rewards. Balaam at this time evidently wished to 
go ; for " he loved the wages of unrighteousness." Still, he must go 
through the formality of again asking counsel of God. And God 
now granted him permission. He did as much as to say: "If you 
Avant to go, go ; nevertheless, what I shall say to thee, that only 
shalt thou speak." 

So Balaam went with the princes of Moab. It was on this jour- 
ney that the angel of the Lord withstood him twice, and threatened 
to destroy him. It was at this time that the very ass on whicli he 
rode reproved him with a man's voice, and "forbade the madness of 
the prophet." Still, he was permitted to finish his journey ; but 
under a strict injunction that he should speak that, and that only, 
which the Lord should say. 

S. — Arrived among the Moabites, Avhat did Balak the king of 
Moab, do ? 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 231 



F. He took the seer unto his high pLaces, where he might have 

a view of the camp of Israel, and, in repeated instances offered np, 
costly sacrifices, while Balaam went aside to ask counsel of God. 
But in every instance, God turned the wished-for curse into abless- 
incT. ''How shall I curse those whom God hath not cursed? And 
how shall I defy those whom the Lord hath not defied ? Who can 
count the dust of Jacob, or number the fourth part of Israel? 
Behold I have received commandment to bless Israel; and he h 
blessed, and I cannot reverse it." 

S. — After these rich and repeated blessings, what did Balaam do ? 

E. — As if vexed wdth himself for not being permitted to curse 
Israel, and thus get the promised reward, Balaam resolved to do as 
a politician, wdiat he could not do as a prophet. He counseled the 
Moabites and Midianites to send their daughters into the camp of 
Israel, to debauch the young men, and draw them into idolatry; 
not doubting that this would be the most likely way to bring down 
upon them the curses of heaven, and this artifice succeeded entirely. 
The very next account we have of the Israelites is, that many of 
them had been drawn away by these outlandish women, not only to 
commit fGrnication, but to be present at their sacrifices, and wor- 
ship their idol gods. 

S. — And what was done to these impious idolaters? 

F. — The greatness of their sin appears in the severity of the 
punishment wdiich followed it. God commanded Moses to take the 
leaders of those who had been concerned in this wickedness, and 
hang them up before the Lord. At the same time, a plague broke 
out in the camp, by v/hich no less than twenty-four thousand per- 
sons were destroj'ed. 

S. — When these disorders had been suppressed and the offenders 
punished, wdiat next was done ? 

F. — The next thing was to take vengeance on the ^Moabites and 
Midianites, who had corrupted Lsrael with their fornications and 
idolatries. So Moses detached an army of twelve thousand men — 
one thousand from each tribe — and sent them ag'ainst their enemies. 



15 



232 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

And tliey vanquished them with an immense slaughter, and took from 
them a vast amount of spoil, in flocks and herds, silver and gold, which 
was divided among the people. In this war, that old diviner Balaam, 
who essayed to curse Israel, but could not, was slain (Num. xxxi. 8). 

S, — What other things required to be done, before entering the 
promised land ? 

F. — One was, the numbering and enrolling the men of war. This 
was done with great care ; and the number of males, from twenty 
years old and upwards, exclusive of the priests and Levites, was 
601,730, — less by two thousand than when they were numbered at 
Sinai, almost forty years before ; so thoroughly had the work of 
death been accomplished upon that generation of Israelites who 
came out of Egypt. 

Another thing to be done was the appointment of a leader to 
take the place of Moses. Moses requested of the Lord that one 
might be appointed, and Joshua was expressly indicated and 
announced. Then Moses took Joshua, and set him before Eleazer 
the priest, and before all the congregation, and laid his hands upon 
him, gave him a charge, and solemnly consecrated him as the future 
leader and judge of Israel. 

S. — While these things were doing, a proposition came to Moses 
ard the elders of the people, from the tribes of Reuben and Gad 
and half the tribe of Manasseh, that, as they had much cattle, and 
as the country east of the Jordan where they were, was a fine 
grazing country, they might have their portion and inheritance 
there. How did Moses regard this proposition ? 

F. — At first, he disapproved of it, supposing that these tribes 
intended to desert their brethren, and go no further with them. 
But when he learned that this was not the case — that they would 
send over their men of war to assist in the conquest of Canaan, 
and stand by their brethren until the whole land was subdued, 
he cheerfully granted their request. And not only so, he divided 
unto them severally the bounds of their inheritance ; and the work 
of settlement in it immediately commenced. 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 233 

S. — What further did Moses do for his people before his death ? 

F. — He described the boundaries of the land of Canaan, and 
appointed twelve men, one from each tribe, to divide it among the 
nine and a half tribes that were left to inherit it. He also repeated 
the injunction that they were to dispossess and drive out the origi- 
nal inhabitants, destroy all their images, and keep themselves pure 
from their idolatries. He directed that forty-eight cities should be 
given to the Levites, six of which were to be cities of refuge, into 
which the man who had accidentally killed any one might flee and 
be safe. But for the intentional murderer, no refuge or expiation 
was provided ; he must surely be put to death. 

Only one thing more remained to the illustrious leader of Israel 
before his death ; and that was to gather the tribes around him, 
and deliver to them his last words. These will be the subject of 
our next conversation. 



CONVERSATION XXIX. 

MOSES' LAST WORDS AND HIS DEATH.— Prediction of the Messiah— T]*e song 
of Moses. — Goes alone up the mount to die. — He sees the promised land.— His age. — 
Important lessons from his life. — As a historian. — His faith. — Meditations on the life 
of Moses. 

Son. — When did Moses commence delivering liis last message to 
the children of Israel ? 

Father. — He began on the first day of the eleventh month, in the 
fortieth year from the departure of the children of Israel ont of 
Egypt, and continued the service as recorded in the book of Deu- 
teronomy. He begins by briefly recounting to the people their 
journeys and trials from the time when they left Sinai till they 
arrived at their present encampment. To promote their humility 
and self-distrust, he rehearses the murmurings and rebellions of 
their fathers, and the sore and repeated punishments which had 
been inflicted on them. He tells them of his own sin at the waters 
of Meribah, and of the judgment denounced upon him in conse- 
quence — a judgment of which he had found it impossible to obtain 
a remission, so that he might himself accompany them into the 
promised land. He repeats to them the laws wduch from time to 
time had been promulged, with some variations, explanations, and 
additions. The law of the ten commandments w^as scarcely altered. 
I>eing engraved on tables of stone, and intended for perpetual and 
universal observance, it could not be. This work of repeating the 
laws was now the more necessary, since those who first heard them 
had gone to the dead, and a new generation had taken their place. 

S. — What memorable prediction do we find in this last address? 

F. — A manifest prediction of the Messiah : "A prophet shall the 
Lord your God raise up unto you from among your brethren, like 
unto me. My word shall be in his mouth, and unto him shall ye 
hearken" (Deut. xviii. 15). 

S. — What was the main object aimed at by Moses in this address? 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 235 



F. — It was, in one word, obedience. He knew that not only the 
prosperity, but the very life of his people depended on their obedi- 
ence ; and hence he had recourse to every method he could think 
of, and quite exhausted the power of language in his exhortations, 
that he might induce them to obe3\ He placed before them the 
happy consequences of obedience, aud the sure and terrible results 
of wandering from God. He set before them, to use his own 
language, ''blessing and cursing, life and death." He solemnly 
renewed their covenant with God, andc required that the law 
should be publicly read to them at the great annual festivals by the 
priests. He did more than this. When the tribes had got posses- 
sion of the promised land, he required that they should be assem- 
bled between the mountains Gerizim and Ebal, where blessings 
should be pronounced upon those who kept their covenant, and 
curses upon those who broke it. He commanded that an altar 
should be erected on the other side of Jordan, on which should be 
indelibly inscribed the conditions of their peace with God. 

S. — What further did Moses do for his people on this solemn 
occasion ? 

F. — He not only delivered the address of which we have spoken, 
but he wrote it in a bock — the same book of Deuteronomy which 
we now have. And as though this was not enough, he composed a 
song, and recited it to the people, and required that they should 
commit it to memory, setting forth the blessings of an obedient 
life, and the judgments that must follow upon transgression. He 
renewed his charge to Joshua, who was to be his successor, and 
took leave of the tribes in a prophetic blessing much after the 
manner of the patriarch Jacob, addressing each tribe separately, 
and speaking symbolically of its future course and destiny. 

S. — Having now performed his last service on earth, what 
further remains to this great and good man ? 

F. — He takes his leave of the camp of Israel, and goes up alone 
into the mountains of Abarim, to a peak called Nebo and Pisgah, 
that he may take a view of the promised land, and then die. And 



236 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

what a spectacle is this ! The venerable leader and head of God's 
covenant people for a whole generation, who had fought their bat- 
tles, composed their differences, borne with their reproaches, healed 
their backslidings, organized their government, and led them along, 
under God, to their present position, at the age now of one hundred 
and twenty years, yet '' his eye not dim, nor his natural force 
abated," — this venerable old man going up alone into the mount- 
ains to die ! He has no fears or anxieties for himself, but all are 
expended upon his people ; and, as he can do no more for them, he 
cheerfully commits them to their covenant God. 

He goes to the place which God has appointed ; looks over, for the 
last time, into the land of promise; surveys its towns, its plains, its 
sunny hills, its meandering stj'eams ; and when he has feasted his 
eyes sufficiently, he quietly closes them in death. He resigns his 
spirit into the hands of angels, who are waiting to convoy it to a 
happier Canaan than that on which he had just looked. The Lord 
took care of his lifeless body. He buried it in a valley in the land 
of Moab, and no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day. 

" On Nebo's lonely mountain, 
Beyond the Jordan's wave, 
In a vale in the land of Moab 
There is a lonely grave. 
And no man dug the sepulchre. 
And no man saw it e'er, 
Tor the angel of God upturned the sod, 
And laid the good man there." 

And when the children of Israel found that Moses was dead, they 
wept for him, in the plains of *Moab, thirty days. 

S. — The character and work of Moses are worth kcudying. 
Treasured up in them is much valuable instruction. Please direct 
our thoughts to some of the more important lessons. 

F. — It may be well to consider, first of all, our indebtedness to 
Moses, more especially as an historian. Bunsen tells us that "his- 
tory was born on the niglit when Moses led forth his people from 
Goshen." We have fables and fictions earlier than this, but noth- 
ing deserving the name of history. Without the writings of Moses, 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 237 

how little should we know of the creation of the world; of the 
original happy state and sad apostasy of man ; of the earliest insti> 
tutions given to our race ; of the chronology of the primitive ages ; 
of the deluge, and the causes of it ; of the dispersion of the nations, 
and the first settlement of the different parts of the world. On 
this one point — the origin of ancient nations — the writings of Moses 
give us more light than all others put together. We little think, 
unless we reflect, how great is our indebtedness to Moses for almost 
all our knowledge of ancient times and things. 

S. — The Apostle Paul cites Moses as an example of strong faith 
(Heb. xi. 23-29) ; does his life illustrate this trait of religious 
character ? 

F. — It does ; he began to show his faith at a very early period ; 
and from that time to the end, his life was pre-eminently one of 
faith. "By faith, he refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's 
daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of 
God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season." It cannot be 
supposed, however, that this important decision was made without 
a struggle. For Moses had the same natural propensities as other 
men — the same love of pleasure, of honor, and of power. But when 
the critical moment came, when he must decide between the gratifi- 
cation of these low desires, and the love and favor of Israel's God, 
he did not hesitate ; he could not hesitate. He cast away the 
former, and clung to the latter. He trusted in the God of his 
fathers, and let worldly prospects and interests go. And to this 
decision of faith, formed in early life,* Moses persistently adhered to 
the end. He adhered to it during his long exile in the land of 
Midian ; he adhered to it in all the trials and perils of his inter- 
course with the proud, the hardened, the unbelieving, the shuffling 
monarch of Egypt; he adhered to it at the Red sea, at the foot of 
Sinai, in the disappointment at Kadesh, and through all his subse- 
quent wanderings in the deserts. Amidst the murmuring of friends 
and the assaults of foes, in perplexities and difficulties, in victory 
and defeat, in the face of danger and of death, we find Moses (with 



238 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

a single exception) the same meek, submissive, trustful, obedient 
man, Avalking by faith and not by sight, seeking only to knoAV tlie 
will of God that he might do it, up to the last inch in which it was 
clearly revealed. It was this uniform, consistent piety, the result 
of his faith, which gives to the character of Moses its special charm. 
He might have been a great man without piet}', — a great philoso- 
pher, a great general, a great monarch and conqueror, a Nimrod, a 
Belus, a Sesostris, a Shishak ; but without his uniform and consist- 
ent piety, his character had never shone out upon the ages, as it 
now does, with the luster of a consistent goodness. 

S. — In the history of Joseph, we were led to remark on the 
wonder-working providence of God, in ordering the circumstances 
of his early life. May not the same remark be applied to Moses? 

F, — It certainly may, and with an equal propriety. Had JMoses 
been born at any other period, or in any other place, he would have 
been born out of place, and the great purpose of his life had not 
been accomplished. And then after his birth, he must be hid three 
months in his father's house, until the right time came for his beiug 
exposed npon the river; and when he was exposed, Pharaoh's 
daughter and her maidens must conclude to take a walk upon the 
banks of the river, or perhaps to bathe in it ; and as they walked, 
they must come to the right place, and see the little ark, and have 
their curiosity excited to look into it ; and when comjDassion was 
moved for the little sufferer, and the princess had concluded to 
adopt it, Miriam must be at hand with the proposal, ''Shall I run 
and call thee a nurse of the -Hebrew women, that she may nurse 
the child for thee ? " In all these events, we see the providence of 
God fulfilling his own eternal counsels, and yet not interfering in 
the slightest degree with the free-agency of his creatures ; for all 
the individuals here concerned acted as freely and as naturally as 
though God had no providence over them, or purpose respecting 
them. And thus it is that God's providence is ever at work. We 
should never distrust it, or fret under it, or call in question its 
wisdom or its goodness. 



CONVERSATIOSS ON THE BIBLE. 239 



aS'. — We are apt to think that the providence of God is concerned 
only with great events ; but should not the history of Moses con- 
vince us of our mistake on this point ? 

F. — Most certainly it should. Upon what slender threads hung, 
at one time, the life of Moses ! One hour earlier or later in that 
walk of the ladies by the side of the river, a few rods higher up, or 
lower down, and the little ark had not been seen, and Moses had 
been lost. And when the ark was seen and opened, if the little 
stranger, instead of quietly Aveeping, had been petulant and angry, 
as children often are, the young princess, instead of pitying it and 
taking it, would have dashed it from her to be thought of no more. 
A tear-drop on a babe's cheek is a very little thing ; and yet, how 
much, under God, depended on that tear ! Without it, we might 
never have heard of Moses, or had the Pentateuch, or been blessed 
with that inspired record of events, reaching back to the earliest 
age of the world, which INIoses has left us. 

aS'. — Is there anything emblematical, and instructive as to the 
Christian llfe^ in the journey of Moses, Avith his Israelites, through 
the Wilderness ? 

E. — There is ; and so the case is represented by the Apostle Paul. 
Having referred to the principal events of their pilgrimage, he says, 
*' All these things happened unto them for ensamples^ and they are 
written for our admonition, on whom the ends of the world are 
come " (1 Cor. x. 11). In tracing the progress of the Israelites 
through the wilderness, we sometimes find them in pleasant places, 
as at Elim, where were three-score and ten palm trees and twelve 
wells of Avater ; " and sometimes in uncomfortable places, as at 
Marah, Avhere the Avaters Avere bitter. We sometimes find them 
famishing Avith hunger and thirst ; and then, in answer to prajer, 
bread is given them from heaven, and Avater gushes forth for them 
from the smitten rock. They are sometimes complaining, and then 
rejoicing ; sometimes subduing their enemies, and sometimes fleeing 
in dismay before them. The Israelites are led, not by a direct path 
from Egypt into Canaan, but by a very crooked and often myste 



240 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

rious one ; and yet they have an infallible guidance, and are led in 
the right way. They at length come together on the banks of the 
Jordan, and all who are prepared for it pass over into the promised 
land. 

Such are some of the incidents of the pilgrimage of the children 
of Israel ; and there is not one of them but has its fulfillment in 
the Christian life. The Christian sometimes finds himself in pleas- 
ant places, and sometimes in rough places ; sometimes ready to 
famish for the bread and the water of life, and then he is fed with 
the heavenly manna, and quaffs living water from " that spiritual 
rock which follows him, which rock is Christ." Sometmies the 
Christian is hopeful, strengthened, and goes on his heavenly way 
rejoicing ; and then we find him, like the wandering Israelites, 
much discouraged because of the way, and disposed to loiter and 
complain. In conflicting with spiritual enemies. Christians aTe 
sometimes victorious, and then vanquished ; and when wounded by 
the great adversary, the method of their deliverance was symbolized 
in the deserts : " As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, 
even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whosoever believ- 
eth in him should not perish, but have eternal life." The path of 
the Christian through this world is often mysterious, running this 
way and that, he hardly knows where ; and yet there is no mistake 
made in providence ; he is led in the right way. Gods knows the 
wants of his children better than they do, and will not withhold that 
measure of discipline which their best good requires. And as the 
Israelites came at last to the Jordan, and passed over into the prom- 
ised land, so, at the time appointed, which is the best time, God 
will bring all his children down to the cold river, and through its 
deep waters to their eternal rest. May the pilgrimage of each one 
of us terminate in this way ! 



CONYEBSATION XXX. 

JOSRUA AND THE CONQUEST OF CANAAN.— Joshua caUed Jesus.— The book of 
Joshua. — "Who wrote it. — Joshua sending spies into Canaan. — P'all of Jericho. — The 
tabernacle set up at Shiloh. — Value of the book of Joshua. — Who Avere the Canaanites. 
-^Evidences of the conquest of Canaan other than the Bible. — Had the Israelites any 
right to the land of Canaan. 

jSon. — How much do A^'e know of the history of Joshua ''* 

Father. — Very little. He was of the tribe of Ephraim, and Avas 
born in Egypt about the year of the world 2460 — thirty years later 
than the birth of Moses. He was fifty years old when he came out 
of Egypt, and ninety years old when he led the Israelites into 
Canaan. His name was the same in Hebrew Avith Jesus in Greek. 
Hence Joshua is repeatedly called Jesus in the Xew Testament.* 

aS'. — When do aac first hear of Joshua ? 

F. — We first hear of him, when Amalek fought with the Israel- 
ites at Rephidim, — not long after they came out of Egypt. Mo- 
ses said unto Joshua : " Choose you out men, and go and fight Avith 
Amalek ; and I AAill stand on the top of the hill, Avith the rod of 
God in my hand." And Joshua did as Moses had said, and he dis- 
comfited Amalek AA'ith the edge of the SAA'ord (Ex. xvii. 9). 

S. — What tokens of regard and confidence did Joshua receive, at 
different times, from Moses ? 

F. — When ]Moses went into the mount to receiA^e the two tables 
of stone, Joshua accompanied him. He AA^as also one of the tAA'elve 
spies, whom Closes sent from Kadesh to spy out the promised land. 
And AA'hen Moses was admonished that his departure drew nigh, he 
was directed to take Joshua, to set him before the priest and the 
congregation, to giA^e him a charge, and thus formally inaugurate 
him as his successor. 

S. — Who wrote the book of Joshua ? 

F. — It is e\ident, from scA^eral passages, that it Avas written by 
some one Avho was cotemporary Avith the events recorded. Thus 



*See Acts vii. 45, and Heb. iv. 8. 



242 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

it is said (Chap. v. 1) : " When all the kings of the Amorites heard 
that the Lord had dried up the waters of Jordan, until we were 
passed ov£r," — importing that the writer was one of those that 
passed over. Again it is said : " Joshua saved liahab the harlot 
alive, and she dwelleth in Israel unto this day^' — implying that 
Rahab was alive, when the book was written (Josh. vi. 25). A por- 
tion of this book, we are expressly told, was written by Joshua 
(Chap. xxiv. 26). The probability is, that he Avrote the greater part 
of it, or that it was written under his inspection ; though some of 
the last verses must have been added by a later hand. 

aS'. — What is the general subject of the book of Joshua ? 

F. — It is the conquest of Canaan, or that part of it lying west of 
the Jordan, and the settlement of Israel in the promised land. A 
portion of the country given to the Israelites had been conquered 
before. 

S. — How does the book commence ? 

F. — With a solemn charge to Joshua, to lead the armies of Israel 
over the Jordan, and put them in possession of the land which had 
been promised to their fathers : "Be strong and of a good courage ; 
be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed : For the Lord thy God is 
with thee whithersoever thou goest." Next, we have an account of 
Joshua's sending spies to spy out Jericho, of their entertainment 
by Rahab, of the covenant which they made with her, and of their 
safe return. Joshua now makes j)-eparation for crossing the Jor- 
dan. The waters are miraculously divided, as the Red Sea had 
beeji, and the whole congregation pass over in safety. 

S. — What was the first care and work of Joshua, after passing the 
river? 

F. — He paused on the western bank until all the males of the con- 
gregation, who had not before received the rite of circumcision, were 
circumcised. Then they celebrated the feast of the Passover, on the 
fourteenth day of the first month at even, on the plains of Jericho — 
the first Passover that had been celebrated for forty years — the first 
that most of the congregation then living had ever witnessed. 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 243 

S. — IIow does the conquest of Canaan commence? 

F. — With the tiege and capture of Jericho, — followed by the sin 
and destruction of Aclian and his family, and the discomfiture and 
subsequent victory before Ai. The fall of Jericho, in the peculiar 
manner in which it was effected, was calculated to impress upon the 
Israelites, and to do it early, that all their strength was in God, and 
that all their dependence must be upon him. For, certainly, the 
means that they used had no tendency at all to throw down the 
walls of a fortified city. The scenes before Ai were also calculated 
to impress upon the people the necessity of a strict adherence to 
the Divhie commands. If they presumed to transgress, however 
secretly, they might be sure that their sin would find them out. 

S. — What followed the destruction of Ai ? 

F. — There was the league with the Gibeonites, who contrived, by 
stratagem, to circumvent the unsuspecting leader of Israel, and 
draw him into a treaty offensive and defensive. The kings in the 
southerly part of Canaan now combine together against Gibeon, and 
against Israel ; but they are defeated by Joshua with prodigious 
slaughter. During this great battle of Beth-horon, the Lord poured 
upon the enemies of Israel a tremendous storm of hail, and more 
died with hail-stones, than were slain with the sword. It was dur- 
ing this battle, that the sun and moon stood still, in answer to the 
prayer of Joshua, until the people had avenged themselves of their 
enemies. 

S. — What followed the conquest of the southerly part of Ca- 
naan ? 

F, — Almost immediately, there was another and still greater con- 
federacy of Canaanitish kings, inhabiting the northern part of Pales- 
tine, where armies are said to have been " as the sand on the sea- 
shore for multitude, with horses and chariots very many." All 
these the Lord delivered into the hands of the Israelites, who smote 
and consumed them, until none of their great army was left. With 
this battle ended the proper conquest of Canaan. There were a 
few border tribes and several strongholds which were not subdued, 



244 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

and which, subsequently, gave the Israelites much trouble. But the 
land was so far subdued that the people now rested from war, and 
entered on the more agreeable task of dividing and settling the 
country. 

S. — Where was the tabernacle of the congregation set up, and 
the public worship of God established? 

F. — Tt was established at Shiloh, a central position in the country 
of Ephraim, near to the city which had become the property and 
the permanent home of Joshua. 

aS'. — How does the book of Joshua end ? 

F. — In the concluding chapters, we hsve an account of the return 
of the two tribes and a half, — who had faithfully assisted their 
brethren in the conquest, — to their cities on the eastern side of Jor- 
dan ; also of Joshua's farewell address to the Israelites, and of his 
death. His farewell address is much in tte style of Moses' valedic- 
tory on a similar occasion. Both are, in tl .e highest degree, touch- 
ing, appropriate and eloquent, and must have left a deep impression 
on the minds of the people. 

S. — What can be said as to the value of the book before us ? 

F. — It contains the history of Israel for about twenty years — a 
short but most eventful period. It is one of the most interesting 
and important books of the Old Testament, and should never be 
separated from the Pentateuch, of which it is both the continuation 
and completion. 

aS*. — How long did Joshua live after the conquest ? 

F. — About ten years. He was one hundred and ten years old 
when he died. He was buried at Timnath-serah, in the border of his 
inheritance on mount Ephraim, where rest his remains unto this day. 

S. — Who were the Canaanites whom Joshua dispossessed ? 

F. — They were the same people originally as the Phoenicians, 
who built Tyre and Sidon and Carthage, and introduced letters and 
civilization into Greece. They may have advanced farther in some 
of the arts than the Israelites ; but they were base, cruel, bloody 
idolaters, and as such were under the curse of God. 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 2io 



aS'. — Have we any evidence of the conqnest of Canaan, aside 
from that contained in the Scriptures ? 

F. — We have. Thus Procopius, the historian who accompanied 
Belisarius into Africa, in the sixth century, found at Tigisis (the 
same as Zangiess) two stone columns, near a great fountain, on 
which was engraved, in Phoenician letters, the following inscrip- 
tion : "We are they who fled from the face of Joshua the robber, 
the son of Nun." The same monument is spoken of by others, and 
is regarded b}' learned men at the j)resent day as a genuine testimo- 
nial to the truth of the sacred history. 

aS'. — What right had the children of Israel to invade and destroy 
the Canaanites? 

F. — They had no right at all, except that which was given them 
by God. "The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof; " and 
he has a right to give it to whomsoever he will. The Israelites 
had no right, unbidden, to take possession of the land of Canaan , 
but God had a right to give it to them ; and he had given it to 
them in a thousand grants, and in the most explicit terms. The 
Israelites had the best possible title, therefore, to the land of 
Canaan ; and their invasion of it, at the appointed time, so far from 
showing their rapacity and wickedness, proved their obedience. 

S. — Does not this book give a sanction to war — to offensive war — 
to war in its most odious and objectionable form ? 

F. — I think not. God had a right to destroy these guilty Ca- 
naanites in any way he pleased, — by fire or flood, by earthquake, 
pestilence, or wild beasts. He had also a right to destroy them in 
tvar — to commission some other nation to go against them, and 
exterminate them. Pie could not commission a nation to go against 
them in a wicked spirit — a spirit of malice, plunder and blood, but 
to go by his authority and as his instrument, in his fear and to his 
glory, and execute a merited work of destruction in his name. 
Thus God commissioned Joshua to go against the Canaanites ; and 
in this spirit, so far as appears, the great leader of Israel went. 
And as to any sanction or encouragement which, by so doing, he 



246 CONVERSATIOXS OX THE BIBLE. 

gave to the practice of war, I only say : When other nations can 
show as high a commission for going to war as Joslma had, let them 
go. But until they can produce a like commission from God, let 
them never attempt to justify their wars, by pleading the example 
of Joshua. 

S. — What traits of the Divine character do we find specially 
illustrated in the book of Joshua? 

F. — We see both the justice and the faithfulness of God, — his 
justice in bringing a merited destruction upon the devoted Canaan- 
ites; his faithfulness, in fulfilling his promises to the patriarchs, 
that he would give the land of Canaan to the children of Israel for 
a possession. The descendants of Canaan took possession of this 
land soon after the flood. It was a good country, a fertile and 
beautiful country ; and long did God continue to try and prove its 
original inhabitants with mercies. The sun shone upon them, the 
rains descended, the earth brought forth its increase, and, as years 
rolled by, the people rioted on the profusion of God's bounty and 
mercy. But instead of being melted under a sense of his goodness, 
they were hardened ; instead of their growing better, they con- 
stantly grew worse. Still, God was not in haste to execute his 
judgments and sweep them away. lie v-^aited inore than six hun- 
dred years, — all the while trying them v.ith mercies, and calling 
upon them in his providence to be wise. Even after he had pur- 
posed to destroy them, and had revealed his purpose to Abraham, 
he waited more than four hundred j^ears, because (to use his own 
expression) "the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full." 

But at length, the cup of their iniquity Avas full, and so was the 
cup of Divine indignation ; and when the last drop had fallen into 
this fatal cup, it was poured out upon them to their utter ruin, — an 
example both of the goodness and the severity of God ; of good- 
ness, in waiting so long upon this guilty people, and trying them 
with so many mercies ; of severity, in at length executing upon 
them his threatenings, and sweeping them all away. 

On the other hand, we have here illustrated the faithfulness of 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 247 

God, in fulfilling his promises to his covenant people. These 
promises, it will be remembered, were not fulfilled as soon as 
made. They looked far into the future, through intervening 
periods of deep darkness and mystery. But in the appointed time 
— the best time — they were all fulfilled. The Canaanites were 
driven out, or exterminated, and Israel Avas put in possession of 
the promised land. So true is it that the God of Israel is ?i faithful 
God — faithful both to reward his people, and to punish his enemies 
as they deserve. 

S. — We have in the book of Joshua an account of the division 
of the conquered country, one portion being allotted to this tribe 
or family, and another to that. What should we learn from this? 

F. — That as God meted out the boundaries of the families of 
Israel, so he now determines the bounds of our habitations, and 
exercises a constant and particular providence over us. It should 
be our earnest endeavor to learn where God would have us be, and 
what he would have us do ; and if we can believe that we are in 
the way of his appointment, then we need ask no more questions. 
We should be satisfied with our lot. 

16 



CONVERSATION XXXI. 

THE RULE OF THE JUDGES.— Who wrote the book of Judges.— Names of the judges. 
— Term of office.— Duties. — Idolatry of the Israelites. — Its consequence. — Six hundred 
Philistines killed with an ox-goad. — Deborah's song, — Gideon. — His son Abimelech the 
usurper. — Samson. — Treachery of his wife. — Capture of the ark. — Jephthah and his 
daughter. 

Son. — Who wrote the book of Judges ? 

Father. — The probability is that certain parts of it were written 
by the scribes, in the time of the Judges. We know that there 
were such men in all the tribes, whose business it Avas to keep an 
account of the respective families, and to register the more im- 
portant transactions. As the book before us is somewhat frag- 
mentar}^ in its character, the probability is that parts of it were 
written by these men. It must have been compiled, however, and 
set in order, by some inspired man ; and we know of no one to 
whom it may be with so much probability attributed as to Samuel. 
He lived near the close of the rule of the Judges ; he held the pen 
of a ready writer ; he was an inspired man and a prophet ; and the 
compiling of the book, and (in part) its authorship, I think may be 
ascribed to him. 

aS'. — Who were the Judges, and what was the nature of their ofBce ? 

F. — They are not to be confounded with the Judges appointed 
by Moses in the wilderness, who still resided among the people, and 
brought the administration of justice to every man's door. The 
Judges about whom you inquire Avere the successors, not of these 
legal justices, but rather of Moses and Joshua. They stood in the 
place of God, and exercised an authority inferior only to his. God, 
it will be remembered, was not only the religious ruler of this peo- 
ple, but their civil Sovereign. They had chosen him to be such, 
and had promised obedience. He had given them a full code of 
political laws and institutions, and he needed some one to adminis- 
ter the government under him, or at least, to superintend its admin 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 249 

istration. This work devolved upon Moses and Joshua, so long as 
they lived ; and when they died, it descended to the Judges. 

aS'. — How many Judges were there, and what were their names ? 

^.—Between Joshua and Saul, there were fourteen of them, viz.^ 
Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar, Deborah, Gideon, Abimelech, Tolah, Jair, 
Jephthah, Ibzan, Elon, Samson, Eli and Samuel. Some of these 
were appointed directly by God ; others were called to office by the 
force of circumstances or by the people, with the manifest approba- 
tion of God. Abimelech alone may be regarded as a usurper, and I 
have hesitated about numbering him among the Judges of Israel. 
They were called forth, ordinarily, to meet some emergency, and had 
a general direction of affairs both in peace and war. There was no 
salary attached to their office, and no income appropriated to them, 
unless it might be a larger share in the spoils of war, and presents 
made to them in token of personal regard. They were simple in 
their manners, moderate in their desires, and generally free from 
ambition or avarice. They continued in office during life, but 
had no authority to appoint successors. They were in general a 
noble class of men, who felt that whatever they did for the Israel- 
itish nation was above all reward; who chose rather to deserve well 
of their country, than to be enriched by its wealth. 

aS'. — What was the state of Israel under the Judges ? 

F. — In general, it was a state of peace and prosperity. This 
remark may excite surprise ; nevertheless, it is true. Thus after 
t3thniel, it is said that the land had rest forty years ; after Ehud, 
eighty years ; after Deborah and Barak, forty years ; and so on. 
To be sure, there were, in these seasons of rest, occasional and terri- 
ble outbreakings of wickedness, followed, of course, by distressing 
judgments ; but these were confined, for the most part, to particular 
tribes, or sections of the country. There was a good deal of idol- 
atry among the people. This was their constantly besetting sin. 
Still, the tabernacle of God was open at Shiloh, and his altars were 
reverenced. On the whole, it is not likely that, during any other 
equal time, the people ever enjoj'ed so much quietness and prosper- 



250 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

ity as they did under the Judges ; and this shows how unreasonable 
they were in wishing to terminate this form of government, and to 
have a king. 

aS'. — How long did the rule of the Judges continue ?* 
F. — This cannot be determined by the book itself; for though 
the years of oppression and of rest are frequently given, they are 
not so in every case ; and the probability is that they often run into 
each other. Assuming the correctness of the statement in 1 Kings 
vi. 1, that Solomon commenced building the temple in the 480th 
year after the exode of the Israelites from Egypt, it will not be diffi- 
cult to decide as to the time of the Judges. The Israelites were 
forty years in the wilderness ; and it is supposed that the conquest 
of Canaan and the settlement of it may have occupied seven years 
more. Here then are forty-seven years to be taken from the four 
hundred and eighty. Allowing forty years to the reign of Saul, 
and forty more to the reign of David, and supposing Solomon to 
have commenced building the temple in the fourth year of his reign, 
here will be eighty-four years more (amounting in all to 131) to be 
taken from the 480. And 480 — 131 leaves 349 years to be given to 
the judges, or to be reckoned between the settlement in Canaan 
and the commencement of the reign of Saul. 

There is another reason why this shorter view of the rule of the 
judges is to be preferred. We find only four generations betAveen 
Salmon (who married Rahab, the hostess of Jericho, soon after the 



*It may be thought that Paul has answered this question for us. For in a speech in 
one of the Jewish synagogues, he says : " After that," viz., the conquest and division of 
Canaan, " he gave unto them judges about the space of four hundred and fifty years, 
until Samuel the prophet," Acts xiii. 20. But this chronology can never be made to 
harmonize with that of the Old Testament. In 1 Kings vi. 1, it is said that "in the four 
hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel came out of Egypt. Solomon began 
to build the house of the Lord." How then can there have been four hundred and fifty 
years between the settlement of Canaan and the birth of Samuel ? The difficulty may be 
obviated by adopting another translation of the passage from Paul, which the original will 
well permit. The Apostle, I have no doubt, intended to say : "After these things, occupy- 
ing about four hundred and fifty years, God gave them judges, until Samuel the Prophet." 
This rendering makes the four hundred and fifty years to refer, not to the time of the 
judges, but to events which took place previous to them, running back almost to the time 
of Abraham's settlement in Canaan. 



CONVKRSATIOXS OX THE BIBLE. 251 

settlement in Canaan) and David. Salmon and Rahab were the 
parents of Boaz, and Boaz and Ruth were the parents of Obed, and 
Obed was the father of Jesse, and Jesse of David. Now we must 
stretch these four generations to the utmost limit of probability to 
make them last 349 years. They cannot possibly be extended 
another hundred years. 

S. — As we shall not have time to examine all the particulars in 
the book of Judges, will you please give us a brief analysis of its 
contents ? 

F. — The book properly consists of two parts. The first sixteen 
chapters are a continuous history ; the last four chapters, contain- 
ing the story of Micah and the Danites, the story of the Levite and 
his concubine, and the consequent war upon the Benjaminites, 
belong to an earlier part of the history, and were thrown in at the 
end so as not to interrupt the course of the narrative. They consti- 
tute a sort of appendix to the book. The book of Ruth may be 
regarded as a second appendix; since the events there so beautifully 
recorded took place in the time of the Judges. 

S. — Please tell us, first, of the historical part of the book. 

F. — The history commences with a vigorous attempt on the part 
of some of the tribes to subdue the remainder of the Canaanites. 
They failed, however, to destroy them utterly, but contented them- 
selves Avith putting them under tribute. Soon they began to asso- 
ciate with them, and to contract family alliances ; and then it was 
no longer possible to destroy them, without destroying their own 
kindred. The next step was to go to their festivals, and participate 
in the w^orship of their gods. This led them into idolatry with its 
kindred abominations ; and tliis brought upon them sore and dis- 
tressing judgments from their covenant God and King. 

S. — Who was the first oppressor of the Israelites after their 
settlement in Canaan? 

F. — His name was Chushan-rishathaim, an invading monarch 
from the east, who is styled king of Mesopotamia. He entered 
the territories of Israel, and imposed a tribute, which lasted eight 



252 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

years. At the end of this period, the people were humbled, and 
cried unto the Lord for help, who raised up Othniel, a son-in-law 
of Caleb, to take up arms against the invader. The invader was 
defeated and driven back, and Israel had rest forty years. 

S. — What was the conduct of the Israelites during these fortj^ 
years? 

F. — In many places, they fell into their old habits of idolatry and 
wickedness. It was at this time that Micah set up his household 
gods in Mount Ephraim, and succeeded in procuring a Levite to be 
his priest (Chap. xvii). It was at this time that the Danites took 
the city of Laish, and called it Dan, after the name of their ances- 
tor. They also stole the gods of Micah, and carried away his 
priest (Chap, xviii). It was during this interval that the disgrace- 
ful events respecting the Levite and his concubine took place, fol- 
lowed b}'^ repeated assaults upon the Benjaminites, in which the tribe 
w^as almost destroyed (Chap. xix). We have no difficulty in fixing 
the date of these transactions, since they occurred during the life 
of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar the high priest ; consequently within 
some fifty years after the settlement in Canaan (Chap. xx. 28). 

aS'. — By whom were the Israelites next chastised for their 
wickedness ? 

F. — After the death of Othniel, the Israelites revolted still 
farther from God; and to chastise them, God suffered Eglon, the 
king of Moab, assisted by the Ammonites and Amalekites, to bring 
them into bondage eighteen years. This hard service again brought 
them to reflection and repentance. They cried unto the Lord for 
help, and he raised them up a man out of the diminished tribe of 
Benjamin, who wrought their deliverance. This man Avas Ehud, 
who, being employed to carry the annual tribute to the king of 
Moab, slew him with a concealed weapon. He then gathered the 
Israelites together, fell upon the bands of Moab, and destroyed them. 
After this, the land had rest for the long period of eighty years. 

S. — The next invaders of Israel were the Philistines; and who 
appeared for their deliverance ? 



COXVEItSATlONS OX THE BIBLE. 



F. — This was Shamgar, the son of Anah, who, strengthened like 
Samson by a supernatural power, sleAv six hundred Philistines with 
an ox-goad. 

aS'. — Previous to this, idolatrj^ had sprung up and was spreading 
amoiiQ' the Danites, in the north of Palestine. Who was sent for 

o 

their chastisement ? 

F, — God let loose upon them Jabin, who styled himself king of 
Canaan, and reigned at Hazor. This man had a powerful army, 
with nine hundred war chariots, all under the control of Sisera, one 
of the most experienced captains of the age. The Israelites w^ere 
so distressed by him, that they durst not travel the highways, or 
cultivate their fields, or dwell in villages, but were forced to retire 
into caverns and fortified places. In their distress, they cried unto 
the Lord ; and he sent them relief by the hands of Deborah and 
Barak. Instigated by Deborah, Barak drew together an army at 
]\lount Tabor. With all possible dispatch, Sisera marched his 
forces to attack him. While his army Avas encamped at the foot of 
the mountain, Barak came down upon him with such fury, that he 
could make no resistance, but fled in the utmost cousternation. 
At the same time, God poured upon his army a terrible storm of rain 
and hail, which swelled the rivers to such an extent that, in attempt- 
ing to cross them, great multitudes of the Canaanites were swept 
away. The rout was complete, the victor}^ was gained, and to cele- 
brate it, Deborah composed the beautiful song recorded in Judges, 
chapter fifth. After this victory, the land had rest forty years. 

' S. — During this period, there Avas a distressing famine in Israel, 
and many of the people were obliged to seek a subsistence in other 
countries. What interesting story comes in here ? 

F.—T\\Q story of Ruth. 

S. — After the death of Deborah and Barak, the Israelites fell 
into their old impieties, and were again delivered into the hands 
of their enemies. Who were now^ their oppressors? 

F. — The Midianites, assisted, no doubt, by the Moabites and the 
Amalekites. These predatory hordes came up in vast numbers. 



254 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

robbed them of their cattle, and carried off all the fruits of the 
earth. They left them nothing on which to subsist. In their 
affliction, the Israelites cried unto the Lord, and he called Gideon, 
the Abiezrite who dwelt at Ophrah, to be the judge and deliverer 
of his people. The story of Gideon, of the raising and trial of his 
little army, and of his victory over the Midianites, is one of the 
most instructive and interesting in the Bible. 

aS'. — What followed, after the death of Gideon? 

F. — His son Abimelech made himself king. He reigned at 
Shechem, and slew all his brethren, save one, but he did not prosper 
in his wickedness. The men of Shechem rejected him, — after which 
he fell upon them with a great slaughter. In the course of the war, 
he was himself slain by the hands of a woman. 

>S*. — Who judged Israel, after the death of Abimelech ? 

F. — Tola, the son of Puah, came into office, and continued in it 
twentj^-three years. After him came Jair, a Gileadite, who judged 
Israel twenty-two years. In his time, there was a general defection 
from the worship of the true God. '' The children of Israel did 
evil in the sight of the Lord, and served Baalim and Ashtaroth, 
and the gods of Syria, and of Zidon, and of Moab, and of the 
Philistines, and of the children of Amnion." This was the most 
alarming defection which had occurred among the Israelites ; and, 
as usual, it prepared the way for distressing judgments. The Am- 
monites were let loose upon them from the east, and the Philistines 
from the west and south, and the people were enslaved eighteen 
years. In this time, they had abundant opportunity to reflect, and 
to see the error of their ways. They mourned over their sins ; 
they acknowledged the justice of their inflictions ; they put away 
the strange gods that were among them, and returned unto the ser- 
vice of the Lord. And he interposed again on their behalf. The 
deliverer, in this instance, was Jephthah, the Gileadite. He 
engaged the Ammonites, on the east side of the Jordan, and smote 
them with a very great slaughter. After this Jephthah lived in 
peace and honor, and judged Israel six years. 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 255 

S. — Who were his humediate successors ? 

F. — First, Ibzaii of Bethlehem, who judged Israel seven years. 
After him was Elou, of the tribe' of Zebulon, who ruled ten years. 
Following him was Abdon, an Ephraimite, who continued eight 
years. Of these judges the sacred historian has recorded very 
little. During their administration, the Israelites seem to have had 
rest and peace, — the result of Avhich was a falling away from God. 
They relapsed into their old idolatries, and God delivered them into 
the hands of the Philistines forty years. 

S. — Near the close of this long period, who was raised up to an- 
noy the Philistines ? 

F. — Samson, one of the most singular characters of which we 
have any account in the Bible. We should hardly think him to be 
a pious man, but that Paul mentions him among the worthies AA^ho 
lived and died in faith (Heb. xi. 32). Samson was a Nazarite — 
consecrated to be such by his parents, before his birth. The vow of 
a Nazarite bound him to abstain entirely from Avine and strong 
drink, and to AA^ar his hair and beard unshorn. On the fulfillment 
of his voAA^, Samson was to be endowed with supernatural strength, 
and thus qualified to be the deliverer of his people. While his 
strength continued, he had various strange encounters AAdth the Phil- 
istines, in all of Avhich he Avas victorious. On one occasion he slew 
a thousand of them with no other Aveapon than the jaAv-bone of an 
ass. His besetting sin Avas the love of Avomen, and this, at length, 
ruined him. He became enamored of a vile, mercenary Avoman, a 
Philistine, Avhose name Avas Delilah. After A^arious attempts, she 
drew from him the secret of his prodigious strength. It was con- 
ditioned on the fulfillment of his Nazarite a^oav, and the Avearing of 
his hair. Knowing this, she cut off his hair, AA^hile sleeping Avith 
his head upon her knees. And noAV he fell an easy prey to the 
Philistines. They took him and bound him, cast him into prison, 
and made him turn a hand mill, like the meanest slave. But in a 
little time Samson's hair grew again, and Avith it his strength grad- 
ually returned ; so that Avhen the Philistines brought him forth to 



256 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

mock at his misery, and tliousancls of tliem covered and filled the 
house before which he was standing ; he managed to get hold of 
the two main pillars of the house, and pulled it down, thus destroy- 
ing himself and a multitude of his enemies. He slew more in his 
death than he had done in his life. 

aS'. — Who judged Israel at the same time with Samson? 

F. — It was Eli, the high j^i'iest. He was born before Samson, and 
lived long after his death. Eli became a judge in Israel at the age 
of fifty-eight, and his administration continued during the next 
forty years. He died at the age of ninety-eight. 

S. — Were the Philistines conquered and humbled by Samson ? 

F. — Not at all. They continued their depredations, and kept the 
Israelites in perpetual fear. Near the close of Eli's life, the people 
gathered courage, and went out to Aphek to give battle to the 
Philistines ; but they were beaten before their enemies, and four 
thousand of them were slain. Hoping to retrieve their loss in 
another encounter, the Israelites went to Shiloh, took the ark of the 
covenant from between the cherubim, and carried it into their 
camp ; but though the ark and the priests were there, the God of 
Israel was not. The Israelites were discomfited, and thirty thou- 
sand fell. Nor was this all; the ark of God was taken, and the 
two sons of Eli who attended it were slain. 

S. — When Eli heard of this defeat, and of the capture of the 
ark, how was he affected ? 

F, — He fainted, fell from his seat and died. He was a good 
man, and zealous for the worship of the true God ; but he failed 
essentially in the training and government of his children. '' His 
sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not." 

S. — I have a few more questions on the book of Judges, when 
this long conversation may close. My first inquiry relates to the 
conduct of Ehud and of Jael, in taking the lives of Eglon and of 
Sisera.* Did they do right in thus destroying tlieir enemies? 
Were their acts pleasing in the sight of God? 

*feee Judo-es iii. 15-23, iv. 18-21. 



CONVERSATIOXS ON THE BIBLE. 257 

F. — I kno^Y not how to justify the acts of these deliverers of 
Israel, but upon a single supj)osition, which is, that they both acted 
under a Divine impulse^ which amounted to a revelation^ a commin- 
siojifrom the Most High. To my own mind, this supposition is not 
improbable ; and on this ground we have a full justification of their 
conduct. God had a right to cut off these cruel oppressors of his 
people in any way he pleased — by disease, by wild beasts, or by the 
sword of their enemies. He had a right to commission Ehud to go 
and kill Egion ; and there are some things in the narrative which 
confirm this view of the case. "I have a message /rom Grod unto 
thee, O king I " Now who shall say that Ehud had not a message 
from God — that, in thus speaking, he did not tell the truth ? 

And so in the case of Jael. The skill, the adroitness, the hero- 
ism she displayed, as well as the praises which were bestowed upon 
her in the iiispired song of Deborah, all go to show, that she acted 
under a Divine impulse, which amounted to a revelation. 

S. — My next question relates to the case of Jephthah and his 
daughter. When Jephthah went forth against his enemies, he made 
a vow unto the Lord that, if he was enabled to triumph over them, 
and came back to his house in peace, whatsoever should first come 
forth from his doors to meet him should be the Lord's, and he 
would offer it up for a burnt offering. So when he returned, the 
first that came out to meet him was his daughter — an only child. 
And it is said that he did to her according to his vow. The ques- 
tion now is, Did he offer her up for a burnt sacrifice ? Could he be 
justified in so doing ? 

F. — My own opinion is, that he did not offer her as a burnt sacri- 
fice ; and my reasons are the following : First, the language of 
Jejjhthah's vow, interpreted as it well may be, does not imply it. 
The Hebrew letter van., commonly translated and^ is in some 
instances translated or, and may be so rendered here. And thus 
rendered, the vow would read : " Whatsoever cometh forth first to 
meet me, when I return in peace, shall surely be the Lord's, or I 
I will offer it up for a burnt offering/' The meaning is, " If the 



258 CONVERSATIOXS OX THE BIBLE. 



creature first coming forth is suitable for a burnt offering, it shall 
be offered up ; but if not, it shall be consecrated and devoted to 
the Lord." Now his daughter Avas not suitable for a burnt offer- 
ing. He could not so dispose of her, in consistency with the 
Mosaic law, or the spirit of his religion. What then does his vow 
bind him to do? To consecrate and devote her to the Lord, — 
to be in a peculiar sense his ; so that she should never be given in 
marriage to any man. This seems to me to be the purport of the 
vow. And I remark, secondly, what is said of her afterwards is 
consistent with this interpretation, and with no other. Her com- 
panions bewailed, not her early death, but her perpetual virginity; 
and what her father said of her, after he had done to her according 
to his vow, viz.^ that " she knew no man," would be quite superflu- 
ous on supposition of her death. 

S. — I only ask further that you would point out some of the 
practical suggestions growing out of this interesting book. 

F. — We see, first, the tendency of our fallen human nature, to 
backslide from Crod. The history of Israel, through all these years, 
is little less than a history of their backslidings. Nor did their oft- 
repeated corrections and recoveries cure them of this propensit3^ 
No sooner was the infliction lightened and the restraint removed, 
than back they would fall into their former courses of sin. 

We see, also, the astonishing forbearance of God. Wh}^ did he 
not give up this people utterly ? Why did he bear Avith them after 
such repeated provocations? Why not abandon them to their own 
hearts' wanderings? Because he is "merciful and gracious, long- 
suffering, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity, trans- 
gression and sin." 

We see the readiness of God to return to his people, so soon as 
they return to him. Whenever these Israelites began to relent, and 
to cry to him for mercy, his soul was grieved for their miseries, 
and we hear him saying: "How shall I give you up, Ephraim? 
How shall I deliver you, Israel? My heart is turned within me, 
and my repentings are kindled together." 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 250 

Let us hear, then, the conclusion of the whole matter : If God's 
people would not feel his correcting rod, then they must refrain 
from sin. Let them live near to God at all times, and walk closely 
and consistently with him, and their peace shall be as a river, and 
their righteousness as a flowing stream. They may dwell perpetu- 
ally in the sunshine of his love. 



CONVERSATION XXXII. 

SAMUEL AND SAUL.— The ark in the hands of the Philistines.— A fearful curse to 
them. — Their dread of it. — Flan to dispose of it. — The result. — Samuel implored for a 
king. — Samuel anoints Saul. — The first king of the Israelites. — His reign. — A successor 
chosen. — The intercourse of Samuel and Saul broken. 

Son. — Who was the successor of Eli as the judge of Israel ? 

Father. — Samuel, — a judge aud a prophet of greater emmence 
than any that had lived since the death of Joshua. He was conse- 
crated to God from his birth, and as soon as he was weaned, was 
brought to Eli at Shiloh, to be trained ujd in the service of the 
tabernacle. 

S. — Under what circumstances did God first reveal himself to 
Samuel? 

F. — He was called, in mere childhood, to denounce the judgments 
of God upon the house of Eli for their wickedness — a message 
which he faithfully delivered, and which was terriblj^ fulfilled in 
the death of Eli and his two sons, at the time when the ark of God 
was taken. It is probable that Shiloh, which had so long been the 
seat of the tabernacle worship, was at this time captured and 
destroyed. 

aS'. — How old was Samuel at the death of Eli ? 

F. — Probably about twenty-tAvo. He had been known, for years, 
as a prophet in Israel. He now became their judge, yet we hear 
little of his doings for the next twenty 3^ears, — all which time, 
though the Israelites were constantly distressed by the Philistines, 
they persisted in their idolatries. 

S. — Was the ark of the covenant any help to the Pliilistines, 
while it remained with them ? 

F. — No ; but rather a curse. They first took it to Ashdod, one of 
their principal cities, and put it in the house of Dagon, their god ; 
but the image of Dagon fell down before it, and broke oif its head 
and arms, so that there was nought but the stump of Dagon left. 
Also the men of Ashdod were smitten with a terrible disease ; and 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 2Gl 

ill their distress and terror, they concluded to send away the ark to 
Gath. But the people of Gath fared no better. They were smit- 
ten with the same disease, and resolved to remove the ark to Ekron. 
But the Ekronites wisely refused to receive it ; and then it was con- 
cluded to send back the fatal, dreaded symbol into the land of 
Israel Avhere it belonged. So they placed the ark in a new cart, and 
hitched to it two milch cows, which, as if by instinct, but really by 
a Divine direction, drew the ark back into the land of Israel. 

S. — What became of the ark, on its return to the Israelites ? 

F. — It first rested at Beth-shemesh, in the land of Judah ; but for 
presumptuously looking into the ark, God smote the men of Beth- 
shemesh, and many of them died. Upon this, the survivors sent to 
Kirjath-jearira, requesting that the ark might be received there. 
And there it ivas received, and there it rested more than eighty 
years, — through the whole administration of Samuel and Saul, unto 
the first part of the reign of David. 

S. — When the Israelites had been sufficiently humbled, and began 
to seek after God, what did Samuel do for them ? 

F. — He said unto them : '^ If ye do return unto the Lord with all 
your hearts, then put away the strange gods that are among you, 
and prepare your hearts unto the Lord, and serve him only, and he 
will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines." Then the 
children of Israel put away their idols, and entered anew upon the 
service of the Lord. Encouraged b}^ these appearances, Samuel 
gathered the people together to Mizpeh, a central city in the land 
of Benjamin, and there kept a day of solemn humiliation, fasting 
and prayer. There was a general and public confession of sin, and 
an earnest supplication to God for mercy. 

S. — Did the Philistines attack the Israelites at this time ? 

F. — They did. When they heard of their assembling at Mizpeh, 
they came out in great force against them. But the Lord thundered 
upon the Philistines with a great thunder, and terrified and dis- 
comfited them. And the children of Israel pursued after them till 
they came to Bethcar. And Samuel here took a stone and set it 



262 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

up in token of the victory, and called the name of it Ebenezer, the 
stone of help^ saying, " Hitherto hath the Lord helped us." 

S. — In the season of peace which followed this victory, how did 
Samuel employ himself? 

F. — He diligently improved the time for the instruction and bene- 
fit of the people. He had his house in Ramah, near to Mizpeh, 
where he built an altar unto the Lord. He also went an annual 
circuit to Bethel, to Gilgal, and to Gilead on the other side Jordan, 
reforming abuses, administering justice, and instructing the people 
in the ways of the Lord. 

S. — What mistake of administration did Samuel make about this 
time ? 

F. — He appointed his two sons to be judges in the southernmost 
part of the land. This was an innovation upon previous custom ; 
and it operated unfavorably, both upon the young men, and upon 
the minds of the people. His sons, we are told, " walked not in his 
ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted 
judgment." Their conduct so disaffected the people, that the elders 
of Israel came together to Samuel at Ramah, and requested him to 
anoint them a king, that they might be, in tliis respect, like the 
other nations. The proposition was displeasing to Samuel, who 
endeavored to dissuade them from it, but in vain. Thej continued 
to clamor for a king ; and God, at length, directed Samuel to yield 
to their wishes. They should have a king ; but then he must be 
such an one as God should appoint ; and he must reign over the pec 
pie as God's vicegerent, subject to his authority, and bound, like 
every one else, to obey his laws. 

aS*. — Who was the first king of Israel ? 

F. — Saul the son of Kish, a Benjamite. He was a man of high 
promise, portly in appearance, taller by his whole head than any of 
his fellows, and possessing, so far as appears, an unblemished charac- 
ter. Saul must have been at this time near forty years old ; Sam- 
uel was between fifty and sixty. Saul reigned forty years, and 
Samuel died only a few years before him, at the age of ninety-two. 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 263 

S. — On the accession of Saul, did Samuel cease to be a judge in 
Israel ? 

^.— He did not; for it is said expressl}^ that "he judged Israel 
all the days of his life " (1. Sam. vii. 15). Saul was a military 
chieftain. He had charge of the army and of the military defenses 
of the country ; but the administration of justice, and the instruc- 
tion of the people, were entrusted to Samuel, as they had been 
before. Indeed Saul himself Avas, to some extent, under the control 
of Samuel. As an inspired prophet of God, Samuel directed his 
movements, reproved him for his faults, in some instances counter- 
manded his orders, and, finally, when he found that he could not 
confide in Saul, set up another and better man to succeed him. 

S. — What was Saul's first military expedition ? 

F.—lt was against the Ammonites. Nahash, their king, had. 
besieged Jabesh-Gilead, a town on the east side of the Jordan, and 
had sent a most insulting message to the men of Jabesh. He would 
consent to spare them only on the condition of their coming out to 
him, and submitting, every one of them, to have his right eye bored 
out. Saul, hearing of this, quickly raised an army, and went to the 
relief of the men of Jabesh. He routed the Ammonites, and scat- 
tered their forces in all directions. 

aS'.— What was Saul's second expedition ? 

F. — It was against those old and valiant enemies of Israel, the 
Philistines. They had gradually extended their conquest east- 
ward, until nearly all central Palestine had come into their posses- 
sion. The sanctuaries so long frequented in the center of the 
country. Bethel, Mizpeh and Shiloh, were deserted, and when Saul 
was inaugurated, the services had to be performed in the very out- 
skirts of Palestine, at Gi^gal, in the valley of the Jordan. 

S. — A war now commenced with the Philistines ; who was chiefly 
instrumental in introducing it ? 

i^.-— It was Jonathan, the brave son of Saul. He attacked and 
took a garrison of the Philistines at Geba, in the second year of his, 
-father's reign. Shortly after this, when Saul was in imminent 

17 



264 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 



danger of being destroyed by the Philistines at his own home in 
Gibeah, Jonatlian and his armor-bearer went out against the enemy 
single-handed and alone, and slew about twenty men. At the same 
time, there was an earthquake, and a great trembling. In their 
terror, the Philistines fled away in such haste that they trod down 
and destroyed one another. When Saul saw what was doing, he 
and many others joined in the pursuit, and the Philistines were 
beaten with great slaughter. 

S. — How was Saul's conduct in this war regarded ? 

F. — It was displeasing to God, to Samuel, and to the people gen- 
erally. Nevertheless, God did not yet desert him. He was w4th 
him in his subsequent wars, and gave him the victory over his ene- 
mies. He fought against Moab, and against the children of Ammon, 
and against Edom, and against the kings of Zobah on the other side 
Jordan, and whithersoever he went he prospered. 

aS'. — In the midst of this prosperity, what message did Samuel 
bring to Saul from God ? 

F. — God said to him, " I remember what Amalek did to Israel ; 
how he laid w^ait for him in the way, when he came out of Egypt. 
Go, therefore, and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that he 
hath, both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, 
camel and ass." Such was the charge which Saul received from 
God. We shall see how he fulfilled it. He gathered a great army 
and went down into the south country to fight the Amalekites. 
And he smote them with a great slaughter. He destroyed all their 
people, but spared A gag, their king, and also the best of their sheep 
and oxen, their fatlings and lambs. Of course, he failed to obey 
the whole Divine command, and exposed himself anew to the dis- 
pleasure of God, and to the rebukes of Samuel. Samuel now told 
him plainly, that as he had rejected the word of the Lord, the Lord 
had rejected him from being king over Israel. '' The Lord hath 
rent the kingdom from thee, and hath given it to a neighbor of 
thine that is better than thou." 

S. — How was Saul affected by this rebuke ? 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 265 

F. — He professed to humble himself and repent. He asked for- 
giveness of God and of Samuel, and begged that Samuel would 
still stand by him, and honor him before the people and the elders 
of Israel. To this Samuel consented for the time ; but he soon re- 
turned to his house at Ramah, and all pleasant intercourse between 
him and the king was from that period broken off. Nevertheless 
Samuel seems to have had an affection for Saul, and sincerely 
mourned that the Lord had rejected him. 



CONVERSATION XXXIII. 

/SAMUEL, SAUL AND DAVID.— David anointed.— The effect of Samuel's desertion 
A on Saul. — David and Goliah. — Their combat. — Saul's jealousy of David — David mar- 
ries the daughter of Saul. — Samuel dies. — Schools of the prophets. — Saul calls up the 
spirit of Samuel. — Death of Saul. — Did Samuel appear to Saul. — Lessons taught in 
this chapter. 

Son. — After the rejection of Saul, what was Samuel commis- 
sioned to do ? 

Father. — He was sent to Bethlehem, to anoint David, the son 
of Jesse, to be the future king of Israel. David was now about 
seventeen years old, " ruddy, of a beautiful countenance, and 
goodly to look to." He had been trained as a shepherd, and like 
other shepherds had learned to play the harp, and perhaps other 
instruments. 

S. — After the anointing of David, it is said that " the spirit of 
the Lord came upon him." What are we to understand by this ? 

F. — He was from this time endued with an unwonted spirit of 
courage and valor, as well as of faith and confidence in God. It 
was under the influence of this spirit that he was enabled, while a 
shepherd, to stay the lion and the bear, and to rescue his flock from 
betw-een their teeth. 

S. — What was the effect upon Saul of Samuel's desertion of 
him ? 

F. — It rendered him moody and melancholy, soured his temper 
and hardened his heart. In Scripture phraseology, " the spirit of 
the Lord departed from him, and an evil spirit from God troubled 
him." I would not say that a literal evil spirit had nothing to do 
with the case; perhaps it was so. But whatever the cause, the 
effect upon Saul was most unhappy. His nervous system became 
deranged, and he was gloomy, irritable, turbulent, untractable. As 
a remedy he was advised to have recourse to music ; and having 
heard of David as a skillful player on the harp,he sent and called him 
to stand before him. This was David's first introduction at court. 



COyi'ERSAT/OXS OX T/IJ-J lUHLE. 2G7 

and he succeeded ^Yith his harp in soothing and cahning the 
troubled spirit of Saul. 

S. — How long did David remain with Saul ? 

F. — Probabl}' not very long. The Philistines were preparing for 
another invasion of Israel, and the bustle of the occasion may have 
had the effect to relieve the mind of Saul, so that the services of 
David were no longer needed. At any rate, he returned to his 
father, and was again employed in caring for the sheep. 

S. — Where did the Philistines first show themselves in this war? 

F. — They encamped at Shochoh, a town nigh to Bethlehem. 
Saul and his army went out to meet them, and encamped so neiir 
that there was but a valley between them. . David's three eldest 
brothers were in the army of Saul, and David was sent by his 
father to carry provisions to them, and to inquire after their wel- 
fare. It was at this time that Goliath presented himself for forty 
successive days, challenging any one of the Israelites to fight with 
him, and defying the armies of the living God. His boastings and 
blasphemy moved the spirit of David, and he offered himself to go 
and fight the Philistine. With the story of his victor}^, and the 
consequent victory of the Israelites you are familiar. I need not 
repeat it. 

S. — What was the effect of this great achievement of David ? 

F. — It was to bring David into notice and honor, and to excite 
the envy and the hatred of Saul. But Jonathan became attached 
to David with a singular and undying love. The women of Israel 
sang his praises with harp and tabret, saying, '' Saul hath slain his 
thousands, and David his ten thousands." The effect of all this 
was to inflame the wrath of Saul, and from that day forward he 
sought the life of David. Twice he undertook to kill him with a 
javelin, while David was plaj'ing the harp before him. Repeatedly, 
he engaged him in close conflict with the Philistines, hoping that 
they might take his life. He charged Jonathan and his servants to 
kill David, but they loved him too well to be guilty of his blood. 
He p"ave his youngest daughter to David, thinking that she might 



2G8 CONVEBSATIONS OJi THE BIBLE, 

be a snare to him, but she helped him to escape from her father's 
hands. 

S. — How did Saul continue to treat David? 

F. — Having become satisfied that David was the appointed of 
God to be his successor in the kingdom, the zeal and rage of Saul 
were enkindled the more for his destruction. He gave his officers 
charge to take David, wherever they might find him. He killed the 
priests of the Lord at Nob, because thev had unwittingly harbored 
the fugitive, and shown him favor. He meanly pursued his valiant 
son-in-law from one desert and cavern to another, and hunted him 
like a partridge on the mountains. In two separate instances, 
during this mad pursuit, Saul fell completely into the hands ot 
David, so that he might have taken his life with the utmost ease ; 
but he refused to do it. Tired, at length, of this course of life, and 
despairing of safety so long as Saul lived, David fled into the land 
of the Philistines and took refuge with the king of Gath. 

S. — During these commotions, where was Samuel, and Avhat 
became of him ? 

F. — He died at his house in Ramah at the age of ninety-two. 
He had been a prophet in Israel eighty years, and a judge about 
sixty. At the command of God, he had commissioned one man to 
reign over Israel, and when this man disappointed him, at the same 
Divine command, he had anointed another. He had directed the 
affairs of the people, instructed them in the ways of the Lord, and 
administered justice with an even hand. He is supposed to have 
revised and edited the books of Moses and Joshua. He wrote the 
books of Judges and Ruth, and the first book of Samuel up to near 
the time of his death. 

aS'. — What more did Samuel do for Israel? 

F. — He set up a new class of institutions in Israel, viz.^ the Schools 
of the Prophets, They Avere established in different places, as 
Ramah, Bethel and Gilgal, and had some one set over them to be 
their teacher and head. Here young men studied the law of 
Moses, and learned to expound it. They were also instructed in 



CONVKIISATIONS OX IHE BIBLE. 2G9 

sacred psalmod}' and music. Here, too, bj some peculiar exercises, 
chiefly devotional, they prepared themselves to receive the spirit of 
prophecy, whenever it should please God to impart the gift. In 
these schools were written sacred biographies, like those of Nathan 
the prophet, and Gad the seer. In them were trained up sacred 
poets and singers, such as Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun, wdiose 
names occur in the Psalms. From them were taken most of the 
propliets, who followed each other, in long succession, from the days 
of Samuel to those of Malachi. Perhaps to no individual, after 
Moses and Joshua, were the Israelites so much indebted as they 
were to Samuel ; and great was the lamentation at his death. He 
was buried in his own sepulcher which he had prepared at Ramah. 

S. — Not long after the death of Samuel, the Philistines engaged 
in another w^ar with Israel. AYhere was David at this time? 

F. — He was still in the country of Achish, king of Gath, and 
Achish was minded to take him and his men with him to the war, 
to fight against his own people, but owing to the jealousy of the 
other lords of the Philistines, this calamity was averted. 

aS*. — How was Saul affected in prospect of the coming war? 

F. — When he saw the host of the Philistines he was greatly ter- 
rified ; and when he inquired of the Lord, the Lord answered him 
not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets. In his dis- 
tress he sought out a woman that had a familiar spirit, though he 
had previously endeavored to drive all snch characters out of the 
land. At his request, the witch professed to bring up Samnel, and 
he was permitted to have a conversation with the old prophet, but 
he derived no comfort from the interview. Samuel told him that 
the Israelites would be beaten before their enemies, and that hini- 
self and liis sons Avould on the morrow be slain. And all this was 
terribly fulfilled. The men of Israel fled before the Pliilistines, 
and many of them were cut off in ]\Iount Gilboa, among whom 
were the three sons of Saul. And when Saul himself was wounded 
and found that he could not escape, he fell upon his sword and put 
an end to his life. His bodj* was found the next day bj^ the Philis- 



270 eONVERSATIOXS OX THE BIBLE. 



tines, who stripped it, beheaded it, and hung up the maimed trunk 
upon the wall of Bethsan. It was not suffered, however, to remain 
there. The men of Jabesh-Gilead, whom Saul, in the beginning of 
his reign, had delivered from the Ammonites, came and took it 
down. They also recovered the bodies of his three sons, and took 
them all to Jabesh, and burned them. The bones they buried 
under a tree, and mourned and fasted seven days. 

aS'. — How old was Saul at his death ? 

F. — He died at the age of eighty, in the 2,948th year of the 
world, in the 33Tth after the exode from Egypt, and 1,056 years 
before the coming of Christ, having reigned over Israel forty years. 

aS'. — What do you think of Saul's interview with the witch of 
Endor ? Did the soul of Samuel really appear to Saul ? Or Avas 
it all an imposition, a juggle of the witch? 

F. — If Samuel was really raised, it is generall}^ understood that 
the incantations of the witch had nothing to do in raising him ; 
that he was raised, if raised at all, by the power of God ; and that 
she was greatly surprised and terrified by the apparition. It is 
admitted that this view of the case is more in accordance with the 
literal meaning of the sacred text than any other; and yet very 
serious objections are urged against it. In the first j^lace, the 
departed soul of Samuel was undoubtedly in heaven, whereas it is 
here represented as coming up from the under-world — coming out 
of the earth. Then, secondly, if God would not answer Saul, when 
inquired of in the appointed Avays, — neither hj dreams, nor by 
Urim, nor by prophets, how unlikely it is that he would disquiet the 
soul of Samuel, and send him back to the earth, to bring a message 
to the terrified king I And, thirdly, if God would send Samuel at 
all on such an errand, how unlikely that he would do it in connec- 
tion with a woman who claimed to have a familiar spirit, thus giving 
countenance to a personage and a practice which his laAv condemned ! 

In view of these reasons, some good men have insisted that there 
was nothing sujoernatural in this affair at all ; that the witch knew, 
from the first, with whom she had to do ; and that she thoroughly 



COXVERSATIOXS OX THE BIBLE. 271 

imposed upon the affrighted king. It is not said in the narrative 
that Saul saw Samuel, or saw anytliing supernatural. The witcli 
pretended to see him, and having often seen and heard him while 
lie was alive, phe was able to personate him exactly. She could tell 
how he looked, and mimic his speech : and knowing full Avell the 
state of things in the camp of Saul (for it was but a little way off) 
she could predict, without much hazard of failure, the issue of the 
morrow's battle. She could feign, too, all the surprise and terror 
which the occasion required. And as to the language of the narra- 
tive, it may be regarded as jjJienomeyiaJ., rather than literal, — as 
accommodated to existing appearances, and the prevailing habits of 
opinion and thought, rather than as describing the real facts of the 
case. Such is the interpretation of this remarkable storj, as given 
by some excellent men. Whether it is to be accepted or not, I 
pretend not to say. I will say, however, that, in the general, it is 
safer to abide by the obvious meaning of Scripture, rather than be 
drawn or driven from it by a priori reasonings and difficulties. 

S. — The lives of Samuel and Saul are highly instructive. Please 
hint at some of the important lessons which they teach. 

F. — The life of Samuel shows us the beauty and the importance 
of early piety. Xothing can be more interesting than his inter- 
course and example in the corrupt family of Eli. The yenerable 
priest, who could have had little comfort in his own children, must 
have rejoiced exceedingly in the piety and promise, the dutiful con- 
duct and obedience of young Samuel. And as we trace the history 
of Samuel from its early beginning through his long and eventful 
life, — in directing the affairs of the nation, in the administration of 
justice, in the setting apart of kings, in the study and preparation 
of the sacred books, in the establishment of institutions for the 
future benefit of his people, in all his duties and his trials, — we 
shall find that the foundation of his high honors and great usefuk 
ness was laid in youth. IL was his youthful piety which prepared 
him to be such a blessing to his people, and to the church of God 
throughout the Avorkl 



272 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

Something may be learned also from the life of Saul. It shows 
the uncertainty of hopeful appearances where true piety is want- 
ing. Saul seems to have been a youth of high promise ; and when, 
at the age of forty, he was exalted to the kingdom, no more suita- 
ble person, to appearance, could be found in the land. But his 
heart was not right in the sight of God, and soon the state of his 
heart began to show itself. Samuel learned, ere long, that he 
could not trust him, and that God who had exalted him was about 
to reject him. 

And this leads to another remark : the tendency of our proba- 
tion here on earth to draw out the secrets of our characters. Had 
Saul remained in private life, his integrity and uprightness might 
never have been suspected. But he was not destined to private 
life. His probation was to be of another kind ; and it soon brought 
out his real character. And just so it is with us. God takes care 
to try us here on the earth in a great variety of ways. He turns 
us over and over, places us here and there, pursues one course of 
treatment with us and then another, till our characters are formed 
and sufficiently developed, and the purposes of our probation are 
accomplished; and then it is soon brought to a close. The silver 
cord is loosed, the golden bowl is broken, and we pass away to the 
retributions of eternity. 

Indulge in one further remark suggested by the case of Saul, — 
the tendency of unsanctified afflictions to harden the heart. Some 
persons regard afflictions as of a softening, subduing character, and 
trust to the punishment of sin to bring all sinners ultimately to 
repentance. But we see in the case of Saul, as in a thousand 
others, that this trust is vain. During the last half of his reign, 
Saul had almost continual vexations and afflictions, — so much so at 
times as to move our pity. And what was the consequence? To 
melt and humble him and make him better? No; but to harden 
him and make him Avorse. And so it is in every case of unsancti- 
fied affliction. " Tliough thou bray a fool with a pestle in a mortar, 
3xt will not his foolishness depart from him." 



CONVERSATION XXXIY. 

DAVID CONCLUDED. — The psalms partially written during Saul s persecution of 
David. — The news of Saul's death. — Its effect upon David. — David's eulogy on Saul — 
David made king. — A son of Saul also claims the kingdom. — David's reward to the regi- 
cide. — Military career of David. — Hiram king of Tyre. — Their friendship. — The ark 
brought to Jerusalem. — The temple projected. — David's sin. — Solomon's birth, — Singu- 
lar fact. — David's death. 

Son. — We heard, in our last conversation, of the persecutions of 
David at the hands of Saul : How long did these persecutions con* 
tinue? 

Father. — About eight years. It Avas during this period that David 
wrote many of his psalms. They grew out of the circumstances in 
Avhich he was placed. Mixed up with complaints and imprecations, 
we find the devoutest aspirations, and the fullest expressions of 
faith and confidence in God. The church had never been favored 
with these quickening songs bat for David's persecutions — an 
instance, among many, in which we find a permitted evil overruled 
for a greater good. 

S. — Where was David at the time of Saul's death? 

F. — At Ziklag, a town on the borders of the land of Israel, which 
had been given to him and his followers by Achish, king of Gath. 

aS'. — Who brought to David the news of Saul's death? 

F. — It was a fugitive Amalekite, who came to him with a lie in 
his mouth, pretending that he had himself killed Saul, — hoping, no 
doubt, to obtain a reward from David. And he did obtain a fitting 
reward ; for David ordered one of his young men to fall upon him 
and kill him, because he had slain the Lord's anointed. 

S. — What notice did David take of the death of Saul? 

F. — He wrote that tender and beautiful elegy on Saul and Jona- 
than, which we find recorded in 2 Sam. chapter i : "The beauty of 
Israel is slain upon his high places : how are the mighty fallen ! 
Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Askelon ; lest 
the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the 
uncircumcised triumph. " 



274 CONVERSATlOyS ON THE BIBLE. 

S. — Is not this funeral Q\egj too eulogistic, too highly colored, in 
praise of Saul ? 

F. — Perhaps not ; to be sure, during the last half of Saul's reign, 
lie had treated David very hardly and cruelly ; but during the 
whole forty years of his administration he had proved himself a 
brave military chieftain. He had enlarged and defended the coasts 
of Israel, and his people had, for the most part, enjoyed prosperity ; 
and whatever else may be said of Saul, he had never, so far as we 
know, been guilty of idolatry, but had exerted his influence to root 
it out of the landc 
- S. — rWhere did David remove, shortly after the death of Saul ? 

F. — To Hebron, a central city in the land of Judah, whither the 
princes of Judah came, in a short time, to make him king. 

S. — Who reigned, at the same time, over the other tribes of 
Israel ? 

F. — Ish-bosheth, a son of Saul. Abner, the son of Ner, a cousin 
of Saul, was chief of the forces of Ish-bosheth ; and Joab, the son of 
Zeruah, David's sister, had the command of his army. 

S. — How came Joab to be thus promoted ? 

F. — The fortress Jebus had never yet been taken from the 
Jebusites. It was a stronghold in which they had dwelt from the 
time of Joshua, and from which they defied the whole power of 
Israel. And David said, " Whosoever first smiteth the Jebusites 
and subdues them, shall be chief and captain. So Joab the son of 
Zeruah went first up, ^ind w^as chief" (1 Chron. xi. 6). 

S, — How did the two kings of Israel get on together? 

F. — For about two years, there were no hostilities between David 
and Ish-bosheth ; but subsequently, a war broke out, and after sev- 
eral engagements, David triumphed. Following the struggle, Abner 
Avas treacherously slain by Joab. David was much displeased at 
the death of Abner, and took occasion to manifest his displeiisure in 
every possible way. He made a public funeral for the fallen chief, 
wept over Ixim, and pronounced his eulogy : " Know ye not that a 
prince and a great man has fallen in Israel to-day ? " 



CONVERSATLOyS ON THE BIBLE, 



S. — After the death of Abner, what became of Ish-bosheth ? 

F.—T\\o of his servants killed him in his sleep, cnt off his head, 
and brought it to David, hoping to receive a reward. Bnt their 
reward was like that of the Amalekite who pretended that he had 
killed Saul. The king rebuked them severely, and then slew them. 
He cut off their hands and feet, and hung up their maimed bodies 
in a public place, to be a terror to regicides in all coming time. 

,S'._What followed the death of Ish-bosheth ? 

F. — The tribes which had followed him sent deputies to David 
nt Hebron, acknowledging his title as king, and pledging their 
allegiance. He was now proclaimed king over all Israel, when he 
had reigned over Judah seven years and six months. 

aS*. — Please give us some account of David's successes after this. 

F. — Being thus invested with full regal power, and having under 
him a mighty army, David entered at once upon the great work of 
his life ; which was to extirpate the remains of the original Canaan- 
ites, to enlarge and defend the borders of Israel, correct disorders, 
and root out idolatry from the land, to establish the worship of the 
true God, and confirm his i)eople in it. He took possession of the 
stronghold of the Jebusites which Joab had captured, and called it 
after his own name. Jerusalem was built up around it, and became 
the capital of David's kingdom. He engaged in repeated Avars with 
the Philistines, and so completely did he humble them, that they gave 
no more trouble to Israel for many years. Meanwhile, Hiram, king 
of Tyre, sent messengers to David, to congratulate him on his suc- 
cesses. He also sent him a present of cedar trees, Avith carpenters 
and other artificers, to assist him in preparing a place for himself. 

S. — What did David do meanwhile for the honor of religion and 
of God? 

F. — He thought of the ark of God, Avhich had been at Kirjath- 
jearim for more than eighty years, and took measures for bringing 
it into his own city, Jerusalem. After some delay, this Avas, Avith 
great pomp and solemnity, accomplished. DaA'id also thought of 
building a temple for the Avorship of the God of Israel, but was pro- 



276 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 



hibited by God from attempting it. The prohibition, however, was 
accompanied with assurances, that God accepted his good inten- 
tions, that his son and successor should build the temple, and that 
his posterity should reign for many generations. 

*S'. — What were the feelings of David, ^in view of these gracious 
assurances ? 

F. — The heart of the good man was greatly affected. He went 
into retirement, sat down before the Lord, and said : " Who am I, 
O Lord God ! and what is my father's house, that thou has brought 
me hitherto ? And even this was a small thing in th}- sight, O Lord 
God ! but thou hast spoken also of thy servant's house for a great 
while yet to come ; and now what can David say more unto thee?" 

S. — What new military expeditions did David now undertake? 

F. — He subdued the Moabites, demolished their fortifications, 
and slew their men of war, leaving only enough to cultivate the 
ground. From the country of Moab, he marched his army still far- 
ther east, to recover his territorj' lying on the Euphrates. The 
Syrians of Zobah, under the command of Hadadezer, came out with 
a strong force and gave him battle ; but he routed them, and took 
from them a thousand chariots and seven thousand horsemen. The 
Syrians of Damascus, hearing of Hadadezer's ill success, came to his 
assistance ; but David routed them also, slew twenty thousand of 
their men, became master of their country, and laid them under 
tribute. On his return from Syria, he was met by a great body of 
Edomites to whom he gave battle. He slew eighteen thousand of 
them in the valley of Salt, and made them his tributaries. This was 
David's most important military expedition. It contributed more 
than any other to establish his authority at home, and to make him 
known and respected abroad. His victory over the Syrians is 
spoken of not only in the Scriptures, but by heathen writers.* 

S. — After these great victories, David thought to show favor to 
Hanun, king of the Ammonites. How were his overtures received? 

F. — Hanun and his wise counselors had no faith in the good 

♦See Rankinson's E-idences, p. 89. 




A'hitney 



E Girsch. 



NATHAN'S KEPROOF OF BAVI] 



Drawn and EnOraved expr-esslv for the ' CorLverf^ation: 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 279 



intentions of David ; he had sent an embassy to spy out the land. 
So they seized his messengers, treated them with great indignity, 
and sent them back to David. This led to a long and bloody war 
between the forces of David and the Ammonites, in which the 
latter were beaten, their capital was taken, their king's crown was 
wrested from him and given to David, and multitudes of the 
Ammonites were slain. 

S, — What disgraceful event in the history of David took place 
during this w^ar ? 

F. — It w^as during this war, that David sinned and fell, in the 
matter of Uriah (2 Sam. chap. xi). The manner in which he 
received Nathan's pointed reproof for his sin, and in which he hum- 
bled himself and made full and public confession of his guilt, shows 
that, though David was not proof against temptation, his heart was 
essentially right in the sight of God. He sought and obtained for- 
giveness in respect to the future punishment of his sin, but from 
its distressing temporal consequences he Avas not delivered. The 
child of his adultery was taken from him at a stroke ; and then 
followed, in quick succession, the rape of Tamar, the murder of 
Amnion, and the rebellion and consequent death of Absalom, thus 
verifying the denunciations of the prophet, that the judgments of 
God should follow him, and that the sword should never depart 
from his honse. 

S. — When was Solomon born ? 

F. — In the twenty-second year of the reign of David. He was 
the son of Bath-sheba, who had been the wife of Uriah. David had 
several older sons ; but Solomon was the chosen of God, and of his 
father, to be his successor in the kingdom. David had another son 
by Bath-sheba whom he called Nathan, after the name of the 
prophet ; and it is remarkable that from these two sons, in different 
lines, the parents of our Savior were descended. Joseph, the 
reputed father of our Lord, descended from Solomon, and Mary, 
his mother, from Nathan.* 

*See the Genealoijies in Matthew and Luke. 



280 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE: 



S. — What further militarj expeditions did David undertake in 
the latter part of his reign? 

F. — He had four several engagements with the Philistines, in 
each of which he was yictorious. In these battles, several of the 
race of the giants which remained were put to death. In com- 
memoration of these and his preceding victories, David composed 
that triumphal song, beginning : " The Lord is my rock, my for- 
tress, my deliverer, the God of my rock in whom I will trust " 
(2 Sam. chap, xx., Ps. xviii). 

aS'. — What unwise measure did David carry into effect, near the 
close of life ? 

F. — He became criminally anxious to know the number of his 
people, and more especially of his men of war. Accordingly, he gave 
orders to Joab, and to his other high officers that the people should 
be numbered. Joab tried to dissuade him from his purpose ; but in 
A^ain. Agents were therefore sent through all Israel, — excepting 
the tribes of Levi and Benjamin, — and brought in the number to the 
king. The numbers in Samuel and in the Chronicles do not agree ; 
but the difference is owing, undoubtedly, to different modes of com- 
putation. After the numbering was finished, the king's heart smote 
liim, and the prophet Gad was sent to reprove him, for what he had 
done. The probability is that it was done from motives of osten- 
tation ; or from a false confidence — a disposition to trust to the 
multitude of his warriors, rather than to the mighty power of 
God. At any rate, David sinned in this matter, he became sensible 
of it, and his people were sorely chastised on account of it. A 
pestilence broke out among them which, in a short time, destroyed 
seventy thousand men. As the destroyer drew nigh to Jerusalem, 
the prophet Gad was sent to David with the command, that he 
should purchase the threshing floor over which the destroying angel 
stood, build an altar upon it, and offer up sacrifices and peace offer.^ 
ings. All this was done instantly, and the plague was stayed. This 
threshing floor was on Mount Moriah, — the very spot on which Sol- 
omon was directed, a few years later, to build the temple of the Lord. 



CONVERSATION'S ON THE BIBLE. 281 

S. — From this time to his death, how was David chiefly em- 
ployed ? 

F. — In making preparations for the bailding of the temple. " Sol- 
omon, my son " said he, " is young and tender, and the house that 
is to be builded for the Lord must be exceeding magnifical, of fame 
and of glory throughout all countries. I will now, therefore, make 
preparation for it. So David prepared abundantly before his death." 

S. — David had passed through the rebellion of Absalom ; what 
other case of treachery was there in his family, in his last days ? 

F. — Adonijah, the eldest of the king's living sons, born of the 
same mother as Absalom, aspired to the kingdom. By some means, 
he obtained Joab and Abiathar the high priests over to his party. 
He invited all the king's sons except Solomon, and most of the 
great men of the kingdom to a sumptuous entertainment, where the 
guests were expected, after feasting for a while, to proclaim him 
king, in place of David his father. But Nathan the prophet, and 
the mother of Solomon, having learned what was doing, went in 
and told the king. The intelligence aroused the enfeebled mon- 
arch, and he commanded Nathan the prophet, and Zadok the priest, 
with other high officers and ministers of state, to take Solomon, and 
put him on his own mule; to conduct him to the fountain of Gihon, 
a little west of Jerusalem, and there to anoint and proclaim him 
king. All this was quickly done, and the people of Jerusalem, by 
their loud acclamations, gave testimony of their joy at David's 
choice. The noise was heard by Adonijah and his company, who 
saw at once that their design was defeated, and that they must shift 
for themselves in the best way they could. Adonijah fled to the 
altar for safety, where he obtained from Solomon a promise of 
pardon, on condition of his loyalty, and future good behavior. 

S. — Was there not a more formal inauguration of Solomon subse- 
quent to this ? 

F. — There was. David called together the officers of his army 
and his court, and made to them a solemn oration, reminding them 
of all God's goodness to him personally, assuring them that the 



282 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

succession of Solomon was by Divine appointment, and that it 
Avould devolve on him to build a temple for the public worship of 
God. He gave to Solomon a plan of the temple, and an account of 
the treasures which he had provided for it. He called upon the 
princes to contribute for the same object ; and when he saw their 
readiness and their liberality, he concluded with a solemn thanks- 
giving to God, and an earnest prayer for Solomon that he might be 
enabled to accomplish all that had been enjoined. The next day, 
Solomon was anointed the second time. Zadok was constituted 
high priest, in place of Abiathar ; and Benaiah was made chief 
commander of the army, in place of Joab. Shortly after this, the 
good king died, in the seventy-first year of his age, — when he had 
reigned forty years, — seven years at Hebron, and thirty-three at 
Jerusalem. He was buried with great pomp in a tomb which he 
had prepared for himself, in that most strongly fortified part of 
Jerusalem, which was called emphatically "the City of David." 

S. — Please give us, in few words, your estimate of the character 
of David. 

F. — That he was a man of great natural endowments, and of fer- 
vent piety, there can be no doubt. He was an inspired prophet, a 
sweet poet, a brave and successful warrior, and a good king. His 
songs have been the delight of the church for three thousand years, 
and will continue to be so to the end of time. Still, he did not 
claim to be a perfect man. He had his foibles and his faults, of 
which no one was more sensible than himself. Falling in with the 
polygamous practices of the age, he could not govern his house- 
hold as he ought, and the consequence was that, in the latter part 
of his reign, his children gave him much trouble. Still, his long 
reign was an inestimable blessing to his country. He vanquished the 
enemies of Israel on every side. He extended his dominions from 
the Euphrates to the Mediterranean, and from Damascus to Egypt. 
He rooted out idolatry from among the people, established on a firm 
basis the worship of the true God, and thus prepared the way for the 
splendid and prosperous reign of his son and successor, Solomon. 



CONVERSATION XXXV. 

THE REIGN OF SOLOMON — His age on ascending the throne.— His character.— 
Solomon's marriage to King Pharaoh's daughter. — The great event of Solomon s reign. 
— The temple. — Its dedication — Visit of Queen of Sheba. — Solomon's fall into sin. — 
Evidence of his repentance. — His children. — Lessons taught by the life of Solomon. 

Son. — How old was Solomon when he came to the throne ? 

Father, — Eighteen years ; and he reigned over all Israel fortv 
years. 

S. — What was the character of Solomon ? 

F. — In the very beginning of his reign, it is said of him that "he 
loved the Lord exceedingl}^, and walked in the statutes of David 
his father." Soon after his accession, he went to Gibeon, a few 
miles from Jerusalem, where were the tabernacle and the altar 
which Moses prepared in the wilderness, and here he offered, in 
sacrifice, a thousand burnt offerings. It was here that the Lord 
appeared to him, and, in answer to his own request, promised to 
give him wisdom and an understanding heart. He also promised to 
bestow upon him riches and honor, beyond that of any of the kings 
of the earth. 

S. — What were among the first acts of Solomon's reign? 

F. — He put out of the way several persons whom he thought 
dangerous to his government. Adonijah, who was suspected of 
plotting another insurrection, and Joab, who was known to favor 
liim, were put to death. It may seem hard that Joab, the hero of 
so many battles fought in the service of his father David, should 
thus fall at the command of his son ; but it must be remembered 
that Joab's treatment of David, on several occasions, was anything 
but respectful; that he had treacherously murdered, in cold blood, 
Abner and Amasa, two men whom David considered better than 
himself; that he was naturally cruel, imperious, revengeful, and 
ready for any conspiracy against Solomon in favor of Adonijah; 
and especially that David had signified his pleasure that the hoary 
head of Joab should not go down to the grave in peace. 



284 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE, 

S. — To whom was Solomon early married? 

F. — To a daagliter of Pharaoh, king of Egypt; and she, it is 
generally siip|)Osed, became a proselyte to the Jew's religion. At 
any rate, Ave never hear of her as exerting any influence in favor of 
idolatry. This is the first that we hear of any connection of the 
Israelites with Egypt, after their escape from bondage. 

S. — What was the great event of Solomon's reign ? 

F. — The building of the temple, and the ordering and establish- 
ing of the temple worship. Next to this in importance was the 
building of a palace for himself, and another for his Egyptian Avife. 
In all these great works, he was essentially aided, both in materials 
and artificers, by Hiram, king of Tyre. These events are distinctly 
referred to, not only in the Scriptures and in Josephus, but by the 
historians of ancient Tyre. 

S. — In what year did Solomon commence building the temple? 

F. — In the fourth year of his reign ; but it Avas not finished until 
the eleventh year. The temple itself Avas not a very large struct- 
ure ; but the numerous courts and offices round about it constituted 
a vast pile. And when Ave consider the exquisite art, as Avell as 
strength Avith Avhich. the Avhole Avas finished, Ave are led to AA'onder 
that it could have been perfected in so short a period. 

aS'. — What great occasion folloAved the building of the temple ? 

F. — Its dedication, — Avhen the ark of the covenant Avas remoA^d 
from the city of David, and deposited in the most holy place ]Dre- 
pared for it in the temple. We have a full account of it, also of 
Solomon's prayer of dedication, of the sacrifices Avhich he offered, 
and of the feast Avhich he made for all the people, in 1 Kings, Chap. 
viii. At the close of this solemn service, God appeared unto Solo- 
mon a second time, told him that his offerings Avere accepted, and 
gave him assurances of continued favor, both to himself and his 
posterity, but onhj on the condition that he and they adhered faith- 
fully to the service of the Lord. "If you shall turn at all from 
folloAving me, you or your children, and shall go and serve other 
gods, then will I cut off Israel out of the land Avhich I have given 



COXyi:iiSATIOXS OS the bible. 285 

them, and tins house which I liave hallowed for my name will I cast 
out of mv sight, and Israel shall be a proverb and a bj-word among 
all people." 

S. — What other buildings did Solomon erect, besides his palace 
and the temple ? 

F. — He built ''the house of the forest of Lebanon," where he 
frequently resided. He built also the Avails of Jerusalem, and an 
armory, and a senate-house called Millo. He repaired and fortified 
Plazor, Megiddo, the two Beth-horons, Baalath or Baalbek, Tadmor 
in the desert, and Gezer, a city Avhich the king of Egypt had given 
him in dowry with his daughter. 

S. — What other engagements in business had Solomon ? 

F. — He engaged extensively in navigation. He had two ports 
on the Elanitic gulf of the Red sea, where he provided a navy, and 
where — in connection Avith his friend Hiram — he engaged exten- 
sively in navigation. He had also his ships of Tarshish on the 
Mediterranean sea. One of his fleets brought home no less than 
four hundred and twenty talents of gold, besides various other com- 
modities and curiosities of great A^alue. In short, Solomon soon 
came to be one of the richest and most powerful princes then on 
the earth. His annual revenue Avas six hundred and sixty-six tal- 
ents of gold, besides the tribute Avhich he received from subject kings. 
His furniture and ornaments Avere all of gold ; silver being little 
accounted of in the days of Solomon. Presents of the greatest 
A'alue Avere sent to him from different quarters, and to see his face 
and hear his Avisdom was the prevailing desire of the great men of 
the age. 

S. — What distinguished personage came to visit him from Arabia? 

F. — The Queen of Sheba. She came Avith rich presents, and to 
test his wisdom Avith hard questions. But Solomon answered all 
her questions ; and when she saAv the magnificence and splendor in 
Avhich he lived, she went aAvay astonished and confounded, saying 
that, though the fame of him of Avhich she had heard AA^as A^ery 
great, the half had not been told her. 



286 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

S. — To what other pursuits did Solomon give attention ? 

F, — He devoted much time to ethical and philosophical inquiries. 
He wrote three thousand proverbs, and his songs were a thousand 
and five. He knew the virtue of all plants and trees, from the lofty 
cedar of Lebanon, to the lowly hyssop that springeth out of the wall. 
He treated also of beasts, of fowl, of creeping things, and of fishes. 

S. — Solomon's situation must have been one of great temptation ; 
how did he bear it? 

F. — I am sorry to say that, for a time, his temptations overcame 
him. In conformity with the customs of oriental monarchs, he must 
surround himself, not only with all other forms of pageantry, but 
with a harem of outlandish women; and these, as might be ex- 
pected, drew away his heart. He took Avives from among the 
Moabites, the Hittites, the Edomites, and the Zidonians ; and to 
show his liberality, he built high places for them in Jerusalem, and 
countenanced them in their idolatries. Wherefore the Lord was 
angry with him, a'nd sent a prophet to reprove him, and to de- 
nounce impending judgments. The Lord also stirred up adversa- 
ries against him, — the kings of Edom, and Damascus, and more 
especially Jeroboam, one of his own servants. Jeroboam had been 
designated by Abijah the prophet, as the man who, in future, should 
reign over ten of the tribes of Israel. Having on this account, as 
well as others, excited the suspicion of Solomon, he fled for protec- 
tion to Shishak, the new king of Egypt, where he continued till 
Solomon's death. 

aS'. — At what time did Solomon begin to countenance idolatry ? 

F. — We do not know precisely. The sacred writer tells us that 
" when he was old^ his wives turned away his heart " (1 Kings xi. 
4) ; and as -he died at fifty-eight, his defection could not have been 
very long before his death. 

aS'. — What evidence have we that Solomon ever repented and was 
restored to the Divine favor ? 

F. — The book of Ecclesiastes was written by him, and written 
late in life ; and it furnishes abundant evidence of his ultimate 



COyVEESATlONS ON THE BIBLE. 287 

repentance and restoration. This book is mainly a record of Ins 
thoughts and feelings at different periods — of the working of his 
great mind and heart in the varied circumstances of life, and more 
especially during the melancholy period of his defection ; and it 
comes out nobly at the close, — showing that Solomon had learned, 
in conclusion of the whole matter, that " to fear God and keep his 
commandments is the Avhole duty of man." 

aS'. — How many children had Solomon ? 

F. — Although he had so many wives, the Scriptures make mention 
of but three children, one son and two daughters (1 Kings iv. 11, 15). 
He died, as I have said, at the age of fifty-eight, having reigned 
forty years. He was buried near his father, in the city of David. 

S. — The life of Solomon is one of great interest and instr action. 
Please notice some of the lessons of it. 

F. — We learn from it, first of all, the danger of loving and pur- 
suing the world. This was that which overcame Solomon. As a 
philosopher, he was in search of the siunynum hoiium^ the chief good 
of man. In what does this consist ? Does it consist in worldly 
gratification ? He had every means of gratification in his power, 
and he resolved to plunge into it, and make the exj)eriment. He 
did so ; and the experiment well nigh rained him. He came out 
of it, oft repeating the exclamation, " Vanity of vanities, all is 
vanity ! I found it all to be vanity and vexation of spirit." 

We learn from the case of Solomon, that at no period of life, so 
long as probation lasts, are we out of danger. It might be thought 
that Solomon, in his old age, when surrounded with so many induce- 
ments to persevere, could hardly be in danger of falling. And yet 
he did fall. He fell foully and shamefully, though we think not 
finally. Let those in years, as well as in youth, learn a lesson from 
him. *^ Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall." 

Let those who have wandered away from God do as Solomon 
did — review their past lives, repent of their sins, and learn, with the 
wise king of Israel, that to " fear God and keep his commandments 
is the whole dutv of man." 



CONVEKSATION XXXYL 

KINGS OF JUDAH AND ISRAEL.— The division of the kiugdom.— Judah and Benja. 
min loyal. — Idolatry of the ten tribes. — Invasion by the Eg^yptians. — Terrible slaughter. 
— Half a million slain. — Elijah the prophet. — Elisha his successor. — The remarkable let- 
ter from Elijah. — Death of Jezebel. — Jonah and Hosea the prophets. — Pul, king of 
Nineveh. — Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, carries the Israelites into captivity. — Origin of 
the Samaritans. 

Son. — What led to the division of the kingdom of Israel, after the 
death of Solomon ? 

Father. — When Solomon was dead, Rehoboam his son went to 
Shechem, in mount Ephraim, where the elders of the people were 
assembled to make him king ; but as the nation had been burthened 
with heavy exactions during some part of his father's reign, before 
they would consent to crown his son, they desired a redress of 
grievances. His father's wise counselors advised Rehoboam to 
satisfy them in this respect ; but influenced by his boon compan- 
ions, and carried headlong by his own stupidity and folly, he 
refused. He even threatened them with increased impositions ; and 
this so disgusted the people, that they threw off their allegiance, and 
declared for another king. When Rehoboam saw what was done, 
he tried to pacify them, but in vain. He was obliged to consult his 
own safety by flight, and hastened back to Jerusalem. He secured 
to himself the two tribes of Judah and Beujamin ; while the other 
ten tribes, — occupying the larger and more fertile part of the coun- 
try, — seceded, and made Jeroboaui tlie son of Nebat their king. 
Thus was this great and goodly kingdom broken into two parts, and 
so continued to the time of its dissolution. 

S. — How old was Rehoboam, when he began to reign ? 

F. — He was forty-one years, and consequently was born one year 
before David's death. To revenge the insult put npon him, he col- 
lected a vast army, with the intent to make Avar upon Jeroboam ; but 
at the instance of the prophet Shemaiab, he changed his purpose, 
disbanded his army, and proceeded to garrison his dominions. 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE, 289 

S. — -Meanwhile, what was Jeroboam doing ? 

F. — He was not idle. He enlarged, beautified, and fortified 
Shechem, and made it his capital. He had more solicitude about 
the religion of his people than anything else, foreseeing that, if 
they went up to Jerusalem to worship, they w^oulcl inevitably return 
to the house of David. Consequently he resolved on a bold inno- 
vation. He set up two golden calves, with their altars, after the 
manner of Egypt, — placing one of them at Bethel, and the other at 
Dan ; and as the regular priests would not patronize his idolatry, he 
banished them from his kingdom and made him priests of the low- 
est of the people. In consequence of these measures, the priests and 
Levites generally went over to Rehoboam, and were followed by as 
many of the people as had any true regard for the God of Israel. 
God sent prophets to Jeroboam to reprove him ; but neither warn- 
ings, nor miracles, nor inflicted judgments had any good effect. He 
persisted in his idolatrous practices, and bequeathed them to his 
successors for many generations. 

aS'. — Did Rehoboam adhere to the religion of his fathers ? 

F. — Not long. For two or three years he kept up the worship of 
God at Jerusalem ; after Avhich, he and many of his people relapsed 
into the idolatries and filthy practices of the heathen. They set up 
groves and images upon every high hill, and under every green 
tree, and perpetrated the same abominations for which the Canaan- 
ites had been destroyed. Under all these provocations, God sent 
against them Shishak, king of Egypt. He came up with a power- 
ful army, ravaged the country, took most of the fortified places, and 
carried away the shields of gold which Solomon had made. So soon 
were the vast treasures of Solomon dispersed, and his son and suc- 
cessor was left in poverty and infamy.* 

>S'. — How long did Rehoboam reign ? 

F. — After Shishak's invasion, he reigned twelve years — seventeen 



*Receut discoveries afford a striking confiniiation of this part of the sacred history. Tlie 
tomb of Shishak has been opened, and among the kings he had conciuei-ed is distinctly 
mentioned the king of the Jews. Kawlinson, p. 109. 



290 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

in all — and died at fiftj-eight — the same age with his father. He 
was a prince of small abilities, and a bad disposition. He seems to 
have been a spoiled child from his youth. It is presumed that Solo- 
mon entertained no higli hopes respecting him ; for he says, in a 
tone of deep despondency, '' I hated all my labor which I had taken 
under the sun, because I was to leave it to a man that should come 
after me ; and who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or" a 
fool" (Ecc. ii. 18, 19). Rehoboam left many children, but ap- 
pointed Abijam, the eldest, to succeed him. 

S. — What can you say of Abijam's reign? 

F. — He may have been forty years old when he began to reign, 
and his reign continued less than three years. He was a brave, 
warlike prince. He got together an army of four hundred thou- 
sand men to fight against Jeroboam ; and although Jeroboam's 
army was twice as large, Abijam resolved to give him battle. But 
he first made a long and eloquent appeal to the army of Jeroboam 
(see 2 Chron. viii. 5-12). In this contest, Abijam was victorious, 
and Jeroboam lost five liundred thousand of his men — a terrible 
slaughter, from the effects of which he never recovered. 

S. — Who succeeded Abijam ? 

F. — His son Asa, who may have been twenty j^ears old when he 
began to reign, and whose reign continued forty-one years. For 
the first ten years, the kingdom of Judah was at peace, a period 
which Asa wisely employed in correcting abuses, destroying idola- 
trous groves and images, and in bringing back his people to the ser- 
vice of the true God. He also fortified his frontier towns, and 
prepared and trained a prodigious army to be in readiness in case 
of necessity. Nor was the necessity long in coming ; for Zerah, the 
Ethiopian, who reigned in south-western Arabia, invaded Judah with 
a vast army. But he was defeated by Asa, with a much inferior force. 
Almost in the beginning of the battle, the Lord struck the Arabians 
with such a panic, that they fled, and trampled down each other. 
Asa pursued after them, took the spoil of their camp, carried away 
tlieir cattle, smote their cities, and returned in triumph to Jerusalem. 



CONVERSATIONS ON TJ±E BIBLE. 291 

S. — How Avas it with the other kingdom all this while ? 

F, — Jeroboam was now dead, and so also was his wicked son and 
successor Nadab ; for Avhen Nadab had reigned less than two years, 
Baasha, the captain of liis forces, conspired against him and slew 
him, and reigned in his stead. 

Perceiving that people were continuall}^ leaving the kingdom of 
Israel, and going over to Judah, Baasha took measures to jDrevent 
further emigration. He connnenced fortifying Ramah, a border 
town, only six miles from Jerusalem, so as to cut off all communi- 
cation between the two kingdoms. When Asa saw this, he sent 
messengers to Benhadad, king of Syria, that he might hire him to 
invade Baasha on the north, and thus divert him from his purpose 
at Ramah. The plan Avas successful. Baasha was constrained to 
depart from Ramah, and Asa came and carried away his materials 
into his own country. 

But Asa sinned in this matter, and a prophet of God Avas sent to 
reprove him, because he had put his trust in man, and not in tlie 
Lord. Nor did Asa receive the reproof with submission and peni- 
tence. On the contrary, he was fretted Avith it, and put the prophet 
in chains. From this time forward, king Asa became petulant and 
unhappy. He had a distressing disease in his feet, Avhich may 
account, in part, for his peevisliness and ill-humor. Xevertheless, 
he is remembered as one of Judah's best and most prosperous kings. 

aS'.— What other kings reigned over Israel, during the long reign 
of Asa? 

F. — In this time, Israel was cursed Avith no less than five Avicked 
kings. FolloAving Baasha, Avere Elah, Zimri, Tibni, Omri, and 
Ahab. Omri founded the city of Samaria, Avhich Avas afterwards 
the capital of the kingdom. Ahab Avas the most profligate and 
AAdcked of all the kings of Israel ; for he not only continued the 
Avorship of the calves, but Jiaving married Jezebel, daugliter of the 
king of Tj're, he introduced into Israel the Avorship of Baal. He 
built a temple for Baal in the ucav city of Samaria, and set up an 
altar and a grove, Avhere all sorts of impurities Avere practiced. He 



292 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

was the first to set an example of persecution in Israel, by slaying 
the prophets of the Lord. 

S. — What great prophet was sent to reprove Ahab for his 
wickedness ? 

F. — Elijah the Tishbite — one of the most ■ renowned of the 
ancient prophets — armed with miracles of both mercy and judg- 
ment — who, when his work on earth was finished, was translated 
visibly to heaven. During the reign of Ahab, there was a drought 
and a famine in Israel of more than three years' continuance, which 
was finally removed at the intercession of Elijah. 

aS'. — In the early part of Ahab's reign, Asa, king of Judah, died. 
Who succeeded him ? 

F. — His son Jehoshaphat, who, in all acts of piety and religion, 
imitated, if not exceeded, the doings of his father. He was thirty- 
five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty -five 
years in Jerusalem. He sent priests and Levites into all the cities 
of Judea, to re*d and expound the law of God. In consequence of 
his fidelity, God blessed Jehoshaphat with riches and honors. His 
people loved him, and his enemies submitted themselves unto him 
and gave gifts. The great fault of his administration was, that he 
married his son and successor Jehoram to a daughter of Ahab. 
This alliance was offensive to God, and it involved him and his 
family in many troubles. 

S. — In what business enterprise did Jehoshaphat engage ? 

F. — Like his ancestor Solomon, he engaged in commerce from 
the ports of the Red sea. In his first attempts he was unsuccessful, 
on account of his partnership with Ahab ; but afterwards, when 
freed from this damaging alliance, he had better success. On the 
whole, Jehoshaphat Avas a good king. He was greatly honored and 
respected while he lived, and deeply lamented at his death. 

S. — Who succeeded Ahab on the throne of Israel? 

F. — His wicked son, Ahaziah ; but his reign was inglorious and 
short, having lasted scarcely two years. He was succeeded by 
Jehoram, another son of Ahab, who commenced his reign in the 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 293 

eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat, and continued it twelve years. 
He put an end, for a time, to the worship of Baal, but persisted in 
the worship of the calves. It was during his reign, that the 
prophet Elisha made his appearance in Israel. He came in the 
spirit and power of Elijah, and, like him, performed many miracles. 
He saved the lives of three kings and their armies, who were cross- 
ing the desert to attack the Moabites, and were on the point of 
perishing with thirst. In answer to Elisha's prayer, a supply of 
water was furnished, and a victory gained. At a later period in 
the reign of Jehoram, Samaria was besieged by the king of Syria, 
until " an ass's head w^as sold for four-score pieces of silver, and 
the fourth part of a cab of dove's dung for five pieces of silver." 
But by a miraculous interposition, at the word of Elisha, the siege 
was suddenly raised, the affrighted Syrians fled, and from the 
spoils of their camp the starved cit}^ was abundantl}^ supplied. 

S. — Who succeeded Jehoshaphat on the throne of Judah? 

F. — His son Jehoram. So that there were now two Jehoram s 
reigning together, — one over the kingdom of Judah, and the other 
over Israel. One of them was a son, and the other a son-in-law, of 
Ahab and Jezebel ; and both walked in the steps of those guilty 
corrupters of God's people. Jehoram of Judah began his reign by 
destroying all his brothers, the sons of Jehoshaphat, and with them 
many of the chief rulers of the kingdom. He received one of the 
most remarkable warnings of wdiich we have any account in the 
Bible — a letter of denunciation and reproof from Elijah the prophet, 
who, several years before, had been translated from earth to heaven. 
Whether the letter was sent directly from heaven, or whether 
the old prophet, foreseeing what was to take place, prepared it 
and left it behind him, I pretend not to say. However, it 
had no good effect upon the guilty Jehoram. He persisted in his 
wicked courses, and was visited with crushing judgments. His 
tributaries revolted from him, the Philistines and Arabians in- 
vaded his territories, and carried away his wives and children, 
and to crown all, he was seized with an incurable disease of the 



294 CONVERSATIOXS OX THE BIBLE. 

bowels, under which he sank, after an inglorious reign of eight 
years. 

S. — Bj whom was Jehoram of Judah succeeded? 

F. — By his youngest son Ahaziah, — sometimes called Jehoahaz 
(see 2 Chron. xxi. 17). He was the son of Athaliah, the wicked 
daughter of Ahab and Jezebel, and being entirely under his 
mother's influence, his short reign was one of idolatry and sin. 
He ascended the throne at the age of twenty-two.* Both he, and 
his uncle Jehoram of Israel, were slain on the same day, by Jehu 
the son of Mmshi. 

S. — Under what circumstances were these two kings slain? 

F. — In his wars with the Syrians, Jehoram, assisted by Ahaziah, 
had laid siege to Ramoth-gilead, which he claimed as belonging to 
himself. Here he was wounded, and retired to Jezreel to be healed 
of his wounds, leaving his arm}^ under the command of Jehu, to carry 
on the siege. Ahaziah, too, had left Ramoth, and gone to Jezreel to 
visit Jehoram. While the two kings were absent from Ramoth, 
Elisha directs one of his prophets to go there, and anoint Jehu king 
over Israel. The prophet goes in the most quiet way possible, and 
executes his commission. But no sooner is it known that Jehu has 
been anointed, than the army arises at once, and proclaims him king. 
Whereupon, being surrounded by a company of valiant men Jehu 
rides post-haste from Ramoth to Jezreel, and kills both Jehoram and 
Ahaziah, and causes the death of old Jezreel herself. Next he 
writes letters to Samaria, about twenty miles distant, and orders 
that the heads of seventy of the royal family of the house of Ahab 
should be brought to him. He then slew all that remained of this 
wicked family in Jezreel, with their kinsfolk and their idolatrous 
priests, until he left none remaining. Jehu now gets into his 
chariot to go to Samaria. On his way, he meets more than forty of 
the royal .house of Judah, — all of them connected with the family of 
Ahab, — going up to Samaria to visit their cousins. These, too, he 



*He is said to have been forty-two, in 2 Chron. xxii. 2, a manifest error of some 

transcriber. 



CONVERSATIOXS OX THE BIBLE. 295 

destroys, and then presses on to the capital, where he kills all that 
remains of Ahab, according to the word of the prophet Elijah. 
Next, he draws together all the priests and worshipers of Baal to 
Samaria, nnder pretense of a great festival, where he falls upon 
t hem and destroys them all. And thus was the worship of Baal, 
^riiich Ahab and Jezebel had done so much to promote, effectually 
jiut down in Israel, to be revived no more. 

S. — Of course, Jehu now came to the throne of Israel ; what was 
the character of his reign ? 

F. — Though he commenced with a fiery zeal against idolatry, he 
did not carry it consistently through. He continued the worship of 
the golden calves, and bequeathed the same to his successors. 

S. — Athaliah, the queen-mother, was still alive at Jerusalem. 
What did she do ? 

F. — When she heard what Jehu had done, she undertook to 
destroy all the seed-royal of David, and take the government into 
her own hands ; and she well nigh succeeded in the attempt. No 
one was spared but Joash, an infant son of the late king. He was 
secreted by an aunt, the wife of Jehoiada the high priest, and was 
kept concealed in the temple for the next six years. During all 
these years, Athaliah reigned over the land, and idolatry tri- 
umphed. 

S. — What became of this wicked queen Athaliah? 

F. — When Joash was seven years old, Jehoiada, — after taking all 
necessary precautions, — brought him out into the court of the 
temple, where he anointed him, crowned him, and proclaimed him 
king. Athaliah, hearing the shouts of the people, ran towards the 
temple, crying Treason ! Treason I But the guards of the young 
king instantly fell upon her, and slew her with the sword. 

S. — Young Joash was now made king over Judah ! How long 
did he reign ? And in what manner? 

F. — He reigned forty years. During the first half of his reign, 
while Jehoiada, his great patron and instructor lived, he ruled faith- 
fully and well. He took much pains in repairing the house of the 



296 COyVERSATIOXS OX THE BIBLE. 

Lord, Avliich, since the death of Jehoshaphat, had been neglected. 
He labored also to reclaim the people from idolatry, and establish 
them in the service and Avorship of God. But when Jehoiada was 
dead, Joash fell under the influence of bad advisers, who led him to 
tolerate and even countenance idolatry; and though prophets were 
sent to reprove him, he grew no better ; he was angr}^ with them, 
and persecuted them. He was so angiy with Zechariah, a son 
of his old friend Jehoiada, for reproving him, that he took his life. 
Wherefore God visited him, as he was wont to do in like cases, with 
distressing judgments. He sent against him, year after year, the 
king of Syria, who, on one occasion, entered and pillaged Jerusalem. 
He also visited him with a complication of diseases. At length, two 
of his servants conspired against him and took his life. 

S. — Who succeeded Joash on the throne of Judah ? 

F. — His son Amaziah, at the age of twenty-five. For a time, he 
governed his people well, and was prospered ; but at length, like his 
father, he fell into idolatry, and was not reclaimed by the reproofs of 
the prophets. Consequently, he was visited with heavy judgments, 
and died in disgrace. His subjects became tired of him, pursued 
him to Lachish, and there slew him. His entire reign was twenty- 
nine years. 

S. — When Jehu came to the throne of Israel, he had a promise 
that his sons should succeed him, to the fourth generation. Was 
this promise fulfilled? 

E. — It was. The first of his sons who reigned w^as Jehoahaz ; the 
second was Joash ; the third was Jeroboam IT., and the fourth 
Zechariah. In the days of Joash, the prophet Elisha died. Joash 
visited him in his sickness, wept over him, and received his blessing. 
Yea more ; Elisha encouraged him to make Avar upon the Syrians, 
and promised him three successive victories, — all which Avas glori- 
ously fulfilled. Jeroboam II. was one of the greatest of the kings 
of Israel, and died in great honor after a reign of forty-one years. 
He enlarged his dominions, north and south, till they Avere almost 
as extensive as in the davs of David and Solomon. 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 297 

S. — Who succeeded Amaziali as king of Judali? 

F. — His son Azariah, sometimes called Uzziah. He reigned in 
all fifty-two years ; and it may be said of him, as of his father, that 
in the first part of his reign, he governed the people well, and was 
prospered. He repaired the Avails of Jerusalem, fortified them with 
towers, and was the first inventor of engines with which to hurl 
darts and stones. He was a lover of agriculture, and did much 
to encourage and improve it among his people. But like thousands 
of others, his prosperity ruined him. In his pride, he intruded him- 
self into the priest's office, and took it upon him to offer incense. 
For this offense, lie was smitten with leprosy, and continued a leper, 
living in a separate house, to the day of his death. His govern- 
ment was administered, meanwhile, by his brave son Jotham. 

aS'. — What distinguished prophets lived at the period now before 
us? 

F. — There were Jonah and Hosea, who prophesied chiefly in the 
kingdom of Israel. Following them were Joab, Amos, Obadiah, 
and Isaiah. Isaiah commenced his prophecy in the reign of 
Azariah, and continued it down to the time of Hezekiah. 

S. — What was the state of the kingdom of Israel from this time 
to their carrying away into captivity? Please give us a brief 
abstract of their history. 

^.— The brave Jeroboam II. lived until the twenty-sixth year of 
the reign of Azariah. Zachariah his son, who succeeded him, and 
who was the last of the descendants of Jehu, reigned only six 
months, when he was murdered by Shallum, a usurper. When 
Shallum had reigned one month, he was put to death by Menahem, 
one of his generals. By the help of Pul, king of Assyria, Menahem 
was enabled to hold the government ten years. This Pul is the 
first of the kings of Assj^ria whose name occurs in the Old Testa- 
ment. He reigned at Nineveh, and may have been the king to 
whom Jonah preached. 

Menahem was succeeded by his son Pekahiah, who was murdered, 
after two years, by Pekah, the son of Remaliah. Pekah held the 

19 



298 CONVERSATIOXS OX THE BIBLE. 

throne twentj-ODe years, but not without great trouble and per- 
plexity. In repeated instances, Tiglath-pileser invaded his land, 
took his cities, ravaged the country, and carried away many of the 
people into captivity. At length, as Pekah had murdered his 
master, Hoshea, the son of Elab murdered him. He held the 
throne nine years, and was the last of the kings of Israel. 

S. — Who put an end to the kingdom of Israel ? 

F. — It was Shalmaneser, king of Assyria. In the second year of 
the reign of Hoshea, Shalmaneser invaded his country, and put 
him under tribute. For several years, Hoshea paid the tribute ; 
but becoming tired of it, he entered into a conspiracy with So, king 
of Eg3^pt, and withheld his tribute from the king of Assj^ia. Upon 
this, Shalmaneser came against him with a great army, ravaged the 
country, besieged Samaria, and, after three years, took it. He put 
Hoshea in chains, and shut him up in prison to the day of his 
death. He carried the great body of the Israelites into captivity, 
and placed them in the northerly part of Assyria, in the kingdom 
of the Medes. At the same time, he brought a mixed multitude of 
people from the different provinces of his empire, and planted them 
in the cities of Israel ; and from these foreigners, mixed up with 
some straggling Israelites who remained in the land, descended the 
Samaritans^ of whom we hear so much in the subsequent history 
of the Jews. No wonder the Jews would not acknowledge them 
as the veritable seed of Abraham, and that an interminable preju- 
dice existed between the two nations. 

S. — How long did the kingdom of Israel stand ? 

F. — It commenced with Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and ended 
with Hoshea the son of Elah, when it had stood two hundred and 
fifty-six years. 



CONVERSATION XXXVII. 

KIXGS OF JUDAH TO THE CAPTIVITY.— Eeign of Jotham.— Succeeded by his 
sou Ahaz. — Idolatry of tliis reigu. — The temple closed. — Hezekiah's reigu — One of tlie 
best of the kings of Judali. — His character. — The temple opened. — Revival of the pa.^s- 
over. — The brazeu serpent of Moses broken. — A Avouderfnl pheuomeuou. — Josiah's 
government. — The book of the law found on repairing tlie temple. — Death of Josiah. — 
Eulogy of Jeremiah. — Jerusalem and the temple destroyed. 

Son. — The last of the kings of Juclah of whom we have heard 
was Azariah, or Uzziah, the leper. Who succeeded Inm? 

Father. — His son Jotham, Avho administered the government sev- 
eral years before his father's death. He came to the throne at the 
age of twenty-five, and reigned sixteen j^ears. He was an excellent 
prince, distinguished alike for his piety, his justice, and his strict 
regard for the interests of his people. He repaired the walls of the 
city and the temple, and did much to strengthen and fortify his 
kingdom. He died in peace, at the age of forty-one, and w^as 
buried in the sepulclier of the kings. 

aS'. — Who next reigned over Judah ? 

F. — Ahaz, the son of Jotham. He began to reign at the age of 
twenty, and continued in the government sixteen years. He was a 
wicked king, regardless alike of God, and of the welfare of his 
people. He not only worshiped the golden calves, but made molten 
images of the gods of the heathen round about, and caused his 
sons to pass through the fire to Moloch. For these offenses he was 
terribly chastised by the confederate armies of Rezin king of Sj'ria, 
and of Pekah king of Israel. They vanquished his army, plundered 
his cities, and slew many of his princes. In his distress, Ahaz 
applied to Tiglath-pileser, king of Assyria for help. He sent him 
large presents of gold and silver, and promised to be his servant in 
time to come, if he would consent to help him against the kings of 
Syria and Israel. Accordingly the king of Assyria made war upon 
the Syrians of Damascus and upon the Israelites. He took from 
Pekah king of Israel all his possessions east of the Jordan, plundered 



300 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 



Galilee, and went into winter quarters at Damascus. Here Ahaz 
went to see liim, and to do him homage as his tributary and vassal. 
At Damascus, Ahaz saw an altar with which he was so much 
pleased, that he sent a model of it to Jerusalem, with orders to the 
high priest to prepare one like it. When this was done, the altar of 
the Lord was taken away, to give place to the new heathen altar. 
At length, he caused the temple to be closed, and the worship of 
the God of Israel to be suppressed ; devoting himself wholly to the 
worship of idols. But he was driven away in his wickedness at the 
early age of thirty-six, and his good son Hezekiah reigned in his 
stead. 

S. — What was the character of Hezekiah ? 

F. — He was one of the best of the kings of Judah. Immediately 
on his accession, he set about a thorough reformation of religion. 
He caused the doors of the temple to be opened; cast forth the new 
Syrian altar, and put the Lord's altar in its place ; and whatever 
other pollutions the sacred places had contracted, he caused to be 
purged away. He sanctified the priests, offered sacrifices according 
to the law, and appointed singers to praise the Lord, in the words oi 
David, and of Asaph the seer. He revived the passover, and invited 
the people of Israel to unite with his own people in observing it. 
And so interested were they all in this solemn national festival, that 
they continued it fourteen days, — twice the usual appointed time. 
There had been no such passover in Israel since the days of Solo- 
mon. At the close of the feast, the people went out together, and 
brake in pieces the images, cut down the groves, demolished the 
altars of idol worship, and restored the worship of the God of Israel. 
They even destroyed the brazen serpent which Moses had made in 
the Avilderness, because it had been perverted to purposes of idol- 
atry. And God, whom Hezekiah so diligently served, granted him 
unusual prosperity. He overcame the Philistines, recovered from 
them the cities which his father had lost, and made great inroads on 
their own territories. 

S. — What befell good Hezekiah about the middle of his reign ? 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 301 

F. — He was visited with distressing sickness, and was warned by 
the prophet Isaiah to prepare for death. At the same time he was 
threatened with an invasion by Sennacherib, king of Assyria. In 
liis distress, he cried nnto the Lord ; and his prayer was heard. Soon 
the prophet was sent again unto him with a promise of recovery 
from sickness, and deliverance out of the hands of the Assyrians. 
In confirmation of the message, a stupendous miracle was wrought. 
The sun went ten degrees backward upon the dial of Ahaz on 
which it had gone down. 

S. — Who sent messengers to congratulate Hezekiah upon his 
recovery from sickness, And to inquire respecting the wonder which 
was done in the land? 

F. — The king of Babylon. Hezekiah was flattered with the 
attention shown to him, received the messengers gladly, and showed 
them all the treasures of his house. For his pride and ostentation 
in this matter, he was reproved by Isaiah, and Avas told that the 
time was near, when all his treasures should be carried to Babylon. 

S. — By whom was the land invaded soon after this? 

F. — By Sennacherib, king of Assyria. Having captured several 
of the cities of Judah, he came, at length, and sat down before 
Lachish, intending, when that was taken, to attack Jerusalem itself. 
Hezekiah made every possible preparation for defense. He fortified 
the city; he enrolled and drilled his army; and succeeded, for a 
time, in buying off the Assyrian army. But Sennacherib soon 
returned, and sent messengers to demand the surrender of Jerusa- 
lem. Hezekiah now brought the case more direct!}^ to God, and 
entreated the prophet Isaiah to intercede for him. He did so, and 
received for answer that Jerusalem was safe ; that it was under the 
Divine protection ; that Sennacherib should not come near it, nor 
shoot an arrow against it.* 

At this juncture the king of Assyria was called away to defend his 



*Detaile(l accounts of these expeditions of Sennacherib, and of the siege of Lachish have 
heen recovered from the mounds near the Tigris, all going- to confirm the sacred history. 
See Rawlinson's Evidences, pp. 19, 20. 



302 CONVERSATlOyS ON THE BIBLE. 

own dominions, which were invaded by Tirhakah, king of Ethiopia. 
But in a little time, he was back again in Judea, more resolved than 
ever on the capture of Jerusalem. But his bloody purpose Avas 
most remarkably and effectually defeated. An angel from God 
came down into his camj), and slew 185,000 of his men in a single 
night. Terrified at this dreadful catastrophe, Sennacherib hastened 
back into his own country, where he was slain by his two sons. 

S. — HoAV did Hezekiah pass the remainder of his days ? 

F. — The latter ^^art of his life was one of peace and quietness. 
He was revered by his own subjects, and feared and honored by the 
surrounding nations. He fortified Jerusalem in the strongest man- 
ner, brought a supply of pure water into it, and did all in his power 
for the improvement and happiness of his people. He died in the 
fifty -fourth year of his age, and in the twenty-ninth of his reign, and 
was buried in the most honorable of the sepulchers of the sons of 

David. 

« 

aS'. — Who was his successor ? 

F. — Manasseh his son, who was only twelve years old when he 
came to the throne. Falliug into the hands of wicked advisers and 
guardians, he became as pre-eminently corrupt and sinful, as his 
father had been hol}^ He not only restored the high places, 
worshiped idols, and erected altars unto Baal, but he removed the 
ark of the covenant from its place in the sanctuar}^ and set up an 
idol in its stead. He practiced enchantments, consulted those who 
had familiar spirits, and made his children pass through the fire to 
Moloch. Nor was he content to work these abominations alone ; 
but being naturally of a cruel temper, he persecuted those who 
would not unite with him. The prophets who were sent to reprove 
him he treated with the utmost contempt and outrage, and filled 
Jerusalem, not only with idols, but with innocent blood. The 
venerable prophet Isaiah, the friend and counselor of his father, he 
is said to have sawn asunder with a wooden saw. But it was not 
long before the vengeance of God overtook him. Esarhaddon, the 
son and successor of Sennacherib, undertook to accomplish what his 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 303 

father had in vain attempted, — the subjugation of all Palestine to 
his sway. He first marched his army into the territory of the ten 
tribes, and carried away a multitude of Israelites — the remains of 
the former captivity. He then sent his generals into Judea, where 
they found and captured Manasseh, bound him with chains, and 
carried him a prisoner to Babylon. 

S. — What was the effect of this infliction ? 

F. — His prison and his chains brought him to repentance. With 
deep sorrow and humiliation, he implored the Divine pity and for- 
giveness ; and God was pleased so to melt the heart of the king of 
Babylon, that he consented to restore him to his liberty and 
kingdom. 

S. — How did Manasseh demean himself after his return ? 

F. — He redressed, so far as possible, the mischiefs which his for- 
mer impiety had occasioned. He cleansed and purified the temple, 
destroyed the i^ols, restored the reformation which his father had 
made, and obliged his people to worship and serve the Lord. After 
this, he reigned in prosperity about twenty years. His whole reign 
was fifty-five years — longer than that of any of the kings of Juclah. 
He retained to the last a deep sense of his unworthiness, and was 
unwilling, on this account, to be buried in the sepulchers of the 
kings. We have what purports to be his penitential prayer, in one 
of the apocryphal books of the Old Testament. It is certainly a 
very humble and remarkable prayer, whether offered by Manasseh 
or not. 

S. — Manasseh was succeeded by his son Anion. What was his 
character ? 

F. — He imitated the wickedness of the first part of his father's 
reign ; but not the repentance of the latter part. He gave himself 
to all sorts of impiety. But his time was short. Two of his ser- 
vants conspired against him and slew him, when he had reigned 
only two years. He died at the age of twenty-four. 

S. — How old was Josiah at his father's death? 

F. — Only eight years. He began early to seek the Lord, and 



3 4 CONVEUSATlOyS ON THE BIBLE. 

Avas a prince of extraordinary piety and goodness. At the age of 
sixteen, lie took upon himself the administration of the government ; 
and, beginning with the reformation of religion, he endeavored to 
purge it from all those corruptions which had been introduced in 
the preceding reign. He traveled through his kingdom, demolish- 
ing altars, cutting down the groves, and breaking in pieces the 
molten images. He defiled Tophet which was in the valley of 
Hinnom, burned the chariots of the sun, and drove the Sodomites 
out of the land. He overthrew the altar of Jeroboam's calf at 
Bethel, where it had stood more than three hundred years. 

S. — In repairing and purifying the temple, what was found? 

F. — The priests found there the book of the law of the Lord. 
The probability is that they found the original copy^ written by the 
hand of Closes, which had been deposited in the ark of the covenant 
with the tables of stone. The book was carried immediately to the 
king, who had never seen a copy of the law, and. was read before 
him. He was much affected in view of the great guilt which had 
been incurred, rent his clothes, and sent some of his principal offi- 
cers to Huldah the prophetess to inquire of the Lord. She returned 
answer, that the judgments threatened in the book of the law would 
ere long be executed ; but, on account of the contrition of the king, 
they should not come in his day. 

S. — What further reformation was attempted by Josiah? 

F. — He called together the elders and people of the land, had the 
book of the law publicly read to them ; and caused them to enter 
into a solemn covenant to observe and do according to its precepts. 
And when the season of the Passover came round, he kept it with 
more exactness and solemnity than had ever before been witnessed 
in Israel. In short, this excellent prince did all in his power to 
appease and avert the wrath of God ; but the doom of Judah had 
been pronounced, and could not be revoked. 

S. — What occasioned tlie death of Josiah ? 

F. — In the thirtj^-first year of his reign, the king of Egypt asked 
permission to pass through some part of Judea on his way to fight 



CONVERSATIOXS ON THE BIBLE. '^Oo 

the king of Babylon ; but Josiah would not consent to it, and 
unwisely drew up his army in the valley of Megiddo to oppose him. 
The two armies came to battle, and Josiah was slain. And great 
was the lamentation in Judea on account of him. Jeremiah the 
prophet prepared a funeral elegy on the occasion, which was long 
sung by the singers of Israel. 

S. — What changes took place in the government after the death 
of Josiah ? 

F. — At the first, his son Jehoahaz was called to the kingdom, but 
he reigned only three months. On the return of the king of Egypt 
from his war in the East, he deposed Jehoahaz, and sent him a 
prisoner into Egypt, — where he died. Jehoahaz had an elder 
brother, whose name was Eliakim : Him the king of Egypt took, 
changed his name to Jehoiakim, and placed him on the throne of 
Judah. He was a cruel, wicked prince, who strove to undo all that 
his pious father had accomplished ; and when reproved by Jeremiah 
and the other prophets, he was angrj', and put some of them to 
death. In the fourth vear of his reis^n, Nebuchadnezzar, king- of 
Babylon captured Jerusalem, and took him prisoner; but upon his 
humbling himself to the king of Babylon, and consenting to become 
his tributary and vassal, his throne and kingdom Avere restored to 
him. It was at this time that the first captives were taken to 
Babylon, among whom was Daniel and his three friends. Only 
three years after this, Jehoiakim rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar, 
and entered into a confederacy with the king of Egypt ; Avhereuj)on 
the Babylonians again invaded Judah, took Jehoiakim prisoner, and 
slew him with the sword. His lifeless body was cast out into the 
field, having none to bury it; thus fulfilling one of the prophecies 
of Jeremiah: " Thus saith the Lord of Jehoiakim king of Judah. 
Hii dead body shall be cast out in the day to the heat, and in the 
night to the frost, and I will punish him and his seed for their 
iniquity" (Jer. xxxvi. 30). 

aS'. — Who next ascended the throne ? 

F. — A son of Jehoiakim, called Jehoiachin, and sometimes 



306 CONVERSATIONS ON TEE BIBLE. 

Jeconiah, arid Coniah. But he reigned only three months and 
ten days, when he was taken prisoner by Nebuchadnezzar and car- 
ried to* Babylon. He was kept in prison until the death of 
Nebuchadnezzar, — after which he was released ; but he never re- 
turned to Jerusalem. Many of the princes and principal inhabit- 
ants of Judah were carried into captivity at the same time with 
Jeconiah, — among whom was the prophet Ezekiel. 

S. — What followed the captivity of Jehoiachin ? 

F. — Over those who still remained in the land, Nebuchadnezzar 
placed Zedekiah, a third son of Josiah, exacting from him, at the 
same time, a most solemn promise to be true and faithful to himself. 
This engagement Zedekiah fulfilled for several years; but in the 
eighth year of his reign, he violated it, and entered into a con- 
federacy with the king of Egypt. This brought Nebuchadnezzar 
again to Jerusalem, with a great army, by Avhich the city was closely 
besieged, and after a time captured and destroyed. Zedekiah 
attempted to escape, but was taken, and brought before the king of 
Babylon for judgment. He first caused the children of Zedekiah to 
be slain before his eyes ; then his eyes were put out, and he was 
carried in chains to Babylon, to be a close prisoner to the end of his 
daj^s. 

After the capture of Jerusalem, the officers of Nebuchadnezzar 
first gathered together all the wealth of the place, including the 
vessels of the house of the Lord ; they then set fire to the city and 
temple ; brake down the walls, the fortresses, and towers ; and 
ceased not till they had made the place an utter desolation. Many 
of the people were put to death, and many others were taken to 
Babylon, to join their brethren that were already there. 

S. — Were any of the Jews still left in Judea ? 

I\ — Some of the poorer of the people — enough to till the ground 
and dress the vineyards still remained, and Gedaliah, the son of 
Ahikam was made their governor. With him Jeremiah chose to 
remain, rather than go with the captives to Babylon. In a sh irt 
time, Gedaliah was murdered by Ishmael, one of the seed royal, ^\ ho 



COXVERSATIOyS OS HIE BIBLE. 307 

hoped to make himself king. Failing in this, he fled for his Jife 
and took refuo;e amoncrthe Ammonites. Johananthe son of Kareah 
now took upon himself the office of governor ; and fearing the 
return of the Babylonians to avenge the death of Gedaliah. he 
resolved, — in direct opposition to the word of the Lord by Jere- 
miah, — to flee into Egypt. He did so, taking Jeremiah and many 
others with him. It is supposed that Jeremiah died in Egypt. 

S. — Were any captives carried to Babylon after this ? 

jP. — Yes ; about two years after the destruction of Jerusalem, the 
Babylonians came and swept over the land of Israel again, carrying 
away the poor remains of the scattered people. The holy land Avas 
now left waste and desolate to enjoy her Sabbaths, according to the 
denunciations of the prophets, until the time of the captivity should 
be fulfilled. 



CONVERSATION XXXVIII. 

BOOK OF KINGS AND CHRONICLES.— History of the books.— Original plan and 
division. — Discrepancies to be found. — How harmonized. — Omissions and additions 
found and arranged. — Design of tlie books. — Author or authors unknown. — Surmises. 
— Importance of the books as a matter of reliable history. 

Son. — In tracing the history of the kings of Jndah and Israel, we 
have relied chiefly on the books of the Kings and Chronicles. 
Please inform us in regard to these books. 

Father. — The two books of Kings formerly constituted but one 
book, and are closely connected with the books of Samuel. Indeed, 
the two books of Samuel are called, in the Vulgate, the first and 
second books of Kings ; while our books of Kings are the third and 
fourth. The present division and naming of these books are of 
modern date. 

S. — Why are these books called King% ? 

F. — Oar two books of Kings may be so called from the fact, that 
they contain a history of the kings of Judah and Israel ; or more 
probably from the fact, that the initial word of the first book is 
king. Thus the Hebrew names of Genesis, of Ecclesiastes, and of 
some other books, come from the initial words. 

S. — Who was the author or authors of the books of Kings and 
Chronicles? 

F. — On this subject there has been much difference of oj)inion. 
Some have thought them the work of the same author, and have 
ascribed the whole to Ezra ; but I cannot be of this oj)inion. The 
books of Chronicles are evidently supplementary to those of Kings, 
and were written at ?. later period. This consideration is against 
the supposition that they belong to the same author. The most 
probable theory is, that these books were not originally composed 
by any one author, but were compiled by some inspired prophet or 
prophets from the authorized records of the Kings of Judah and 
Israel. That such records were carefully kept, there can be no 



COXVERSATiOXS ON IIIE BIBLE, 309 

doubt. Under each reign, an individual was appointed for this very 
purpose. The records which these men kept are called the Chroni- 
cles^ i, e., the Day-hooks^ Diaries^ of the several kings, and are con- 
tinually referred to, in our copies, as the sources from which the 
history was taken, and as containing more full accounts than it 
comported with the plan of the sacred writer to give. From these 
registers, and others equally authentic, our sacred narrative was 
undoubtedly compiled ; the Holy Spirit directing the writer just 
what to take, and what to omit, and how to modify and correct the 
different statements, so that the completed work might be regarded 
as the inspired w^ord of God. 

S. — Do we know the compilers of the books of the Kings? 

F. — We do not. There was a succession of inspired prophets, 
reaching all the way from David to Zedekiah, either or all of whom 
may have been concerned in this matter. Jeremiah had Barueh 
for a scribe ; and it is not unlikely that Barueh, under the direction 
of Jeremiah, may ha/e finished the writing of the Kings, excepting 
the last few verses of the second book. The whole may have been 
revised, and these last verses added, by Ezra, after the captivity. 

aS'. — When were the books i. f Chronicles written ? 

F. — These were obviously written, or rather compiled, after the 
captivity ; and were designed, as I said, to be supplementary to the 
books of Kings. They contain not a little which we find in the 
Kings, and often in the same words, — showing that the writers 
of both had access to the same original documents. Still, the 
Chronicles omit much that we find in the Kings, and contain much 
that we do not find there. They are called in the Septuagint 
/iu()(dEino[Aeva, things left out or omitted. There is no reason to 
doubt that these books were compiled by Ezra. 

aS'. — Are there any discrepancies between the statements in these 
books ? 

F. — If by discrepancies are meant differences of statement, there 
undoubtedly are such. Why should the latter books have been 
written at all if they were to contain the same as the former and in 



310 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

the same words? But if, by discrepancies, are meant irreconcilable 
contradictions^ I can only say that I have not found them. There 
are a few errors of transcribers, more especially in regard to num- 
bers, which require to be corrected ; but aside from these, there are 
no seeming contradictions which may not easily be reconciled. 

S. — What historical facts are omitted in the Chronicles, which 
are found in the books of Samuel and the Kings? 

F. — The following are the more material omitted facts : 

1. The history of Ish-bosheth, the son of Saul, and of all the kings 
of the ten tribes, in their succession under Jeroboam. In the 
Chronicles, we have only incidental references to these kings ; 
while in Kings, we have distinct accounts of them all. 

2. The account of David's sin in the matter of Uriah is not in 
the Chronicles. Nor — 

3. Do we find in the Chronicles the story of Amnon's treatment 
of his sister Tamar, and of his consequent death at the hands of 
Absalom. Nor — 

. 4. Do the Chronicles inform us of Absalom's rebellion, defeat, 
and death. 

5. The Chronicles have nought to say of the hanging of the 
seven sons and grandsons of Saul, to appease the Gibeonites, and 
avert the severity of famine (2 Sam. xxi). 

6. David's song of thanksgiving, after having vanquished all his 
enemies, is not in the Chronicles. 

7. We have no account in Chronicles of Adonijah's conspiracy 
and death ; neither of the death of Joab. Nor — 

8. Have we any account in Chronicles of Solomon's defection, in 
his old age, and of the consequent denunciations pronounced against 
him. 

9. As we have no distinct history in the Chronicles of any of the 
kings of Israel, we hear nothing there of Ahab and his descendants, 
and of the intercourse of Elijah and Elisha with that wicked race of 
kings. The numerous miracles of Elijah and Elisha, — the story of 
the drought, the famine, and of Elijah's successful intercession for 



COXVERSATIOXS OX THE BIBLE. 311 

rain ; the miracles of both these men in raising the dead, and the 
narrative of Elijah's translation to heaven, — all this, and much 
more in regard to these prophets, is omitted by the writer of the 
Chronicles. 

S. — What facts do we find in the Chronicles, which are omitted 
in the other books ? 

F, — 1. There are ihe genealogical tables, reaching from Adam to 
the time of Ezra, and some of them much later, — the names in 
which must have been recorded by a later hand. 

2. The number and names of David's mighty men ; also the 
numbers from the different tribes of Israel, who came to David 
to Hebron to make him king. 

3. The story of Hiram's kindness to David, in sending him mate- 
rials and artificers from Tyre, to build him a house. 

4. The number and names of the Levites who assisted David in 
bringing up the ark; also the song of praise which was sung on 
that occasion. 

5. The account of the great preparation which David made, in 
the latter part of his life, for the building of the temple. 

6. We have no account in the other books of David's appointing 
the courses of the Levites, the priests, the singers, the porters, and 
the captains, such as is given in the Chronicles. 

7. David's charge to Solomon and the princes concerning the 
temple, and other matters, is much more full in the Chronicles, 
than in the Kings. 

8. In the Kings, we have no account of Abijam's speech to 
Jeroboam and his army, nor of the great victory which he gained 
over them. Neither — 

9. Have we, in the Kings, any account of ^lanasseh's repentance, 
and of his restoration to his throne and kingdom. Of this most 
remarkable display of the power and grace of God in the recovery 
of a flagrant and hardened transgressor, we should never have 
heard, but for the writer of the Chronicles. 

On the whole, we have much reason to be thankful for the books 



312 CONVERSAIJOXS OX THE BIBLE. 

of Chronicies, Instead of raising cavils and objections in regard to 
tliem, and tlms endeavoring to disparage their authority, and bring 
them into contempt, Ave should rather bless God for them, diligen+ly 
study them, and gather up lessons of heavenly wisdom from them. 
Like all other Scripture, when properly used, these books will be 
found " profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for 
instruction in righteousness." 

S. — What seems to have been the design of the writer, and of 
the Holy Spirit, in giving us the books of Chronicles, in addition 
to those of Samuel and the kings? 

F. — The general design in giving these books was to instruct and 
benefit the church of God, in all coming time. The more specific 
design of the writers was to benefit the affiicted church of God, 
in his own time. He wished to encourage the returned exiles from 
Babylon in building the new temple, by setting before them the 
high examples of David and Solomon. By showing them how 
much their former princes contributed to the old temple, he wished 
to stir up the princes and people around him to a corresponding 
liberality. He wished also to instruct the priests and Levites in 
their appropriate duties, by pointing them to the manner in which 
the orders of God's house had been observed in other days, and 
finally, as there was danger, in the confusion and distress of the 
times, that the genealogies of the people might be broken and lost, 
it seemed good to the writer of these books of Chronicles, and to 
the Holy Ghost who inspired him, to give a new and abbreviated 
edition of these genealogies, that so the line of them might be pre- 
served, that our Savior might be known to be, what it had been 
predicted he should be, the son of David. 



CONYEESATIOX XXXIX. 

THE BOOK OF JOB. — A remarkaMe' character. — "Real or imaginary. — The land of ITz 
— Its location — Time at which Job lived. — The author of the book of Job. — The phiii 
of the work.— Truth of the narrative. — Actual sound of God's voice — Religious belief 
of tho.se days.— The que.stiou of Job's second family being by the mother of the first. 

Father. — Having now traced the history of GocVs people to the 
time of their captivity and dispersion, it will be necessary to turn 
back, and consider the books which have been omitted. And, first, 
the book of Job. 

Son. — But do you think that such a man as Job ever lived — that 
he was a real, historical person? 

F. — To be sure I do. Does not the Bible say expressly, '' There 
was a man, in the land of Uz, Avhose name was Job?" And the 
two first chapters of the book are not poetry, but history. Then 
the existence of such a man as Job is assumed and spoken of, in 
other parts of the Bible. Thus in Ezekiel, Chap, xiv., it is repeat- 
edly said, " Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were 
iu the city, they should deliver but their own souls." Here Job is 
as distinctly referred to as Noah or Daniel. The Apostle James 
also says, "Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen 
the end of the Lord," etc., (Chap. v. 11). 

>S'. — If Job was a real, historical personage, my next question is. 
Where did he live ? Where was the land of Uz ? 

F. — We cannot tell certainly, though I think we may with a 
high degree of probability. The land of Uz probably took its name 
from that of the original settler. Now there was an Uz among the 
children of Xahor, Abraham's brother (Gen. xxii. 21) ; and also 
among the descendants of Esau (Gen. xxxvi. 28) ; but both these 
are too late to meet the case before us. We also find the name of 
Uz among the grandsons of Shem (Gen. x. 23). He seems to have 
settled in Arabia, west of the Euphrates, between Chaldea and 
Idumea. And this was, probably, the residence of Job. In the 

20 



314 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

language of Scripture, this was an eastern country ; and Job is said 
to have been " the greatest of all the children of the East.''' 

The supposition that this was the country where Job lived is 
strengthened by the fact that several of the persons and tribes men- 
tioned in the book of Job resided in this vicinity. His three 
friends, and also Elihu, had their (Jwelling in Arabia, between the 
Euphrates and the Dead sea. The Sabeans and Chaldeans, who 
plundered the property of Job, were also in this vicinity. There is 
still a place in this country which the natives call Uz, and the 
tradition is, that this was the residence of Job. 

iS. — How early did Job live ? 

F. — We cannot tell certainly, but it must have been far back in 
the patriarchal age. He must have lived before the exode of the 
Israelites from Egypt, and the giving of the law at Sinai ; for there 
is not an allusion to these important events in the whole book. 
There is a manifest allusion to the deluge, as a not very distant 
event. " Hast thou marked the old way which wicked men have 
trodden, which were cut down out of time, whose foundation was 
overflown with a flood" (Job. xxii. 15, 16)? In fact, all the 
recorded circumstances respecting Job, such as the great age to 
which he lived ; the nature of his property, consisting of flocks and 
herds ; the religious rites which he practiced, which were purely 
patriarchal ; the wandering tribes which plundered him, and the 
friends which visited him, — all go to place him among the patri- 
archs of the earliest times. He probably lived somewhere between 
the age of Terah, the father of Abraham, and the times of Jacob 
and Esau, about six hundred years after the deluge, and eighteen 
hundred years before the coming of Christ. 

.S'. — Whom do you regard as the writer of the book of Job ? 

F.—l cannot tell certainly, but my belief is that it was written 
by Moses during his long residence in Arabia, previous to his call 
for the deliverance of his people. The story of Job's unexampled 
sufferings, of his controversy with his friends, of his final deliver- 
ance and subsequent prosperity, must, of necessity, have been widely 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 315 

known in Arabia, and could hardly fail to come to the ears of Moses 
during his residence in that country. Moses was perfectly compe- 
tent, both as a poet and an historian, to write such a book ; he Avas, 
probably, the only man in all that region who could write it ; and 
what more natural than the supposition that hctwould employ some 
portion of his leisure in preparing it ? 

The consideration which, more than any other, satisfies me that 
Moses was the author of this book is, its unquestioned position in 
the canon of the Old Testament. Would the Israelites so early 
have accepted this book, and so pertinaciously have retained it 
among their other Scriptures, had it been of heathen or doubtful 
origin ; had they not been able to trace it to their great lawgiver 
and judge ? Nor does the fact that the book contains some Syriac 
and Arabic expressions militate at all against this supposition. The 
story, it must be remembered, is of iVrabian origin. The book, too, 
was written in Arabia, and by one who had long been a dweller in that 
country. Why, then, should it not bear some marks of its original ? 

aS'. — I think you are right in ascribing the authorship of the book 
of Job to Moses. Its place in the canon of the Old Testament 
proves it. Please now inform us as to the plan and method of 
this ancient book. 

F — The body of the work, as you know, is Hebrew poetry ; but 
the first two chapters and a part of the last, are prose. In the 
introduction, we have a brief account of Job's history, of his excel- 
lent character, of his great prosperity, and the reason of the sore 
trial with which he was visited. 

S. — Do you think the account here given of the meetings of the 
spirits in the other world is literally true ? 

F. — It may be so ; though I am inclined to interpret it differ- 
entl}'. This part of the story has the air of a parable, — of which 
the Arabians are excessively fond, — a parable introduced to set 
forth the reason why God should so sorely afflict so good a man as 
Job. As a parable, this part of the narrative has great beauty and 
force. As veritable history, it is beset with many difficulties. 



316 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

S. — What is the general subject of the poetical part of the book? 

F. — It is a debate between Job and his friends on the question 
whether this life is one of retribution, or probation. Does God 
treat men, in this world, in strict accord with their characters ? 
Does he uniformly prosper the good, and afflict the Avicked, so 
that we may judge of the characters of men by the manner in 
which they are dealt with ? In other Avords, did Job's great afflic- 
tions prove that he was a great hypocrite, and a very wicked man ? 

S. — What was the method of the debate? Was it conducted in 
an orderly manner ? 

F. — Following a season of sympathetic silence, Job opens his 
mouth, and gives utterance to his complaint. Then Eliphaz the 
Temanite, — who seems to be a leader among the three friends, — 
commences the discussion. To him Job replies. Next, Bildad the 
Shuite continues the argument ; and Job replies to him. Zophar 
the Naamathite next assails the poor afflicted man ; and Job replies 
again. This ends what I conceive to be the first session of the con- 
ference, and brings us to the close of the fourteenth chapter. 

In the second session, the same order is observed, Eliphaz opens 
the discussion, and Job replies. Bildad continues it, and Job replies. 
Zophar adds his rebukes and reproaches, and Job replies again. 
Chap. xiv. to xxi. The third session proceeds in the same way, 
except that Zophar fails to perform his part, and Job has the last 
word. Chap. xxii. to xxxi. 

The debate might have ended here, but that Elihu, who had been 
a listener, and was displeased that no answer had been given to Job 
rises up and delivers a long speech, much in the strain of Job's 
previous accusers. As he draws towards the close, a storm of wind, 
thunder, and lightning is seen rising in the desert, and approaching 
the affrighted speakers ; and presently the voice of God himself is 
heard issuing from the cloud. And for awful sublimity and pathos, 
this speech of the Almighty has never been equaled. I will not 
attempt to describe it. To be appreciated, it must be read and 
pondered. Job is crushed under it, and exclaims, in th6 deepest 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 317 

humiliation and penitence, " Behold, I am vile ; what shall I an- 
swer? I lay my hand upon my mouth. I abhor myself, and 
repent in dust and ashes I " The friends of Job are sharply rebuked, 
and entreat him to make intercession for them. Job is restored to 
health, and to more than his former prosperity, is blessed with 
another family, and ends his days in peace. 

aS'. — Do you suppose that God literally spake with an audible 
voice on this awful occasion? 

F, — I have no doubt of it. He often spoke face to face with the 
patriarchs, — but never, unless on the top of Sinai, with such god- 
like sublimity and solemnity as at this time. 

S. — As the book of Job belongs to the patriarchal age, it must be 
of great interest to know what religious opinions and observances pre- 
vailed at that early period. Will you please indicate some of these ? 

F. — Job and his friends all believed in the existence of one God 
— the Supreme, the Infinite, the Almighty. They regarded him as 
the creator of the world, and as its rightful governor. They be- 
lieved in the existence of angels, an order of spiritual beings 
superior to ourselves, some of whom were holy—" the sons of God," 
and some Avere sinful. Man, in the time of Job, was regarded as a 
depraved and sinful being. " What is man that he should be clean, 
and he that is born of a woman that he should be righteous? Who 
can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? Not one" (Chap. xiv. 
15). These men also believed in the necessity of repentance and 
reconciliation with God ; and that, if men would repent, they should 
be forgiven. " Acquaint now thyself Avith him, and be at peace ; 
thereby good shall come unto thee." "If thou return to the 
Almighty, thou shaft be built up ; thou shalt put away iniquity far 
from thy tabernacle " (Chap. xxii. 21, 23). The patriarchs believed 
that God was to be worshiped by sacrifices and burnt offerings, 
designed originally to point to the one great sacrifice that was to 
be . made for the world. It was in this way that Job sought to 
make expiation for the sins of his children ; and that the sins of his 
friends were to be expiated. (Chap. i. 5, 6 ; xlii 8). 



318 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

S. — Did Job believe in a future state of rewards and punish- 
ments? 

F. — Yes ; and (as I think) in the resurrection of the body. 
This is intimated in one of the passages commonly referred to to 
prove the contrary. " Man lieth down, and riseth not ; till the 
heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of theii 
sleep" (Chap. xiv. 11, 12). Here is a clear intimation that, ivhen 
the heavens are no 7nore, — when the last great day shall come., there 
tvill he a general resurrection. But the same great truth is more 
explicitly set forth in another passage. " I know that my Redeemer 
liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth ; 
and though after my skin, Avorms destroy this body, yet in my flesh 
shall I see God" (Chap. xix. 26, 27). I adopt the common render- 
ing of this disputed passage, for two reasons : First, it is the more 
obvious, natural rendering, and has been so admitted by the most 
eminent interpreters. And, secondly, the connection clearly indi- 
cates that something of great importance is about to be uttered — 
something that must never be lost sight of or forgotten. " O that 
my words were now Avritten ! O that they were printed in a book ! 
That they were graven with an iron pen and lead in the rock for- 
ever ! " After such an introduction, what might we expect that the 
Patriarch was about to say? That he expected to be healed of his 
sores, and to stand forth again a restored and prosperous man ? Or 
should we not expect him to say something wonderful and glori- 
ous, more important than anything he had ever said? In short, 
should we not expect him to say just what, I think he does say : " I 
know that my Redeemer liveth," etc. To my own mind, there can 
be no question here. Nor do I deem it improbable that God should 
vouchsafe to his tried and afflicted servant a truth, which had not 
before been so clearly revealed, but which, in later times, Avas often 
repeated, that the great Redeemer of lost men Avould one day come 
in the clouds of heaven, to judge the world in righteousness, and 
vindicate and save his once aspersed but beloved people. 

S. — I have but one more question on this wonderful book. We 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 319 



are told that, on Job's recovery and restitution, he had the same 
number of children given him, that he had before. Is it likely that 
they were by the same mother? 

F. — I cannot speak with confidence on this point. We have no 
account of the death of Job's wife ; and as his trial may not have 
lasted more than a j'ear, she may have lived to iiave another family. 
Most interpreters, however, suppose a second wife. 



CONVERSATION XL. 

THE PSALMS. — What they are. — Their purpose and the authors.- Original and ancient 
division. — ^The peculiarity of Hebrew poetry. — The imprecations of the Psalms. — The 
glory of infidels. — The perplexity explained. — Inspiration of David. — Value of the 
Psalms to Christians. 

Son. — What are the Psahns / 

Father. — They are a collection of Hebrew lyrics, designed (or 
the most of them) to be sung in the temple, and in the public 
worship of the Israelites. Nor has their use been limited to the 
church of Israel. They were sung in the assemblies of the primi- 
tive Christians. They still have a place in all our churches, and 
will continue to have, to the end of time. 

S. — Who were the authors of them ? 

F. — About half of them are expressly ascribed to David ; and he 
probably wrote many that have no inscriptions. Twelve of the 
Psalms are ascribed to Asaph ; twelve to the sons of Korah, or for 
the sons of Korah, who were singers ; five are said to have been 
written for other singers, as Heman, Ethan, and Jeduthun ; two 
were written for Solomon ; and one — the ninetieth — was written 
"by Moses, the man of God." One certainly — perhaps more — 
were written after the captivity (Ps. exxxvii). 

S. — Most of the Psalms are prepared with inscriptions. How 
much credit is to be given to these inscriptions ? 

F. — Some writers think them of equal authority with the Psalms ; 
but this is not generally admitted. They are very ancient, however, 
— are written in the Hebrew language and, in general, maj^ be 
regarded as correct. The ascriptions to David, to Asaph, and to 
Mo.ses are obviously correct. 

S. — You speak of the Psalms as a collection of sacred lyrics. 
Who are supposed to have collected them ? And by what author- 
ity did they act ? 

F. — The Psalms Avere not all collected at once. They were 
divided anciently into five sections. The first closes with the forty- 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 321 

• 

first Psalm, and is composed entirely of the Psalms of David. It 
ends with this sublime inscription : " Blessed be the Lord God of 
Israel from everlasting and to everlasting. Amen, and Amen." 

The second section extends from Psalm forty-second to Psalm 
seventy-one. These Psalms are ascribed to different authors, and 
the whole ends with these words : " The prayers of David the son 
of Jesse are ended." 

The third section extends from Psalm seventy-two to eighty-nine. 
It contains but one of David's Psalms, and closes with the following 
ascription : "Blessed be the Lord forevermore. Amen, and Amen." 

The fourth section is a short one, extending from Psahn ninety 
to one hundred and six. With two or three exceptions, these 
Psalms are anonymous, and their authors unknown. The section 
closes with the same ascription as the fourth. 

The fifth and last section extends from Psalm one hundred and 
seventh to the end. It is of a miscellaneous character, and was 
probably intended to gather up such of the scattered Hebrew songs 
as were suitable for public worship. Many of them, I have no 
doubt, belonged to David. 

The first two of these sections may have been collected in the 
time of David, and under his eye ; the third and fourth during the 
time of the kings ; and the last subsequent to the captivity. They 
were all collected and arranged by Divine authority and by inspired 
men. The last collection, and indeed the whole, must have passed 
under the eye of Ezra. 

aS'. — The Psalms, we all know, are poetical compositions. What 
do you regard as the great j)eculiarity of Hebrew poetry? 

F. — The poetry of the Hebrews does not run in rhyme, or rhythm. 
Its leading peculiarity is the jjaraUelism^ consisting in a repetition 
of the main thought in a following proposition, thus : " Thou shalt 
tread upon the lion and adder , the young lion and the dragon 
shalt thou trample under feet " (Ps. xci. 13). "Lo, thine enemies, 
O Lord I for lo, thine enemies shall perish ; all the workers of 
iniquity shall be scattered." " The righteous shall flourish as the 



322 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

S_ 

palm tree ; he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon " (Ps. xcii. 9, 12). 
In some instances, the sentiment is repeated more than once : " The 
floods have lifted up, O Lord ! the floods have lifted up their voice ; 
the floods lift up their waves" (Ps. xciii. 3). 

Li several of the Psalms, we find an artificial arrangement, as the 
choruses in the 136th, adapting them to the use of the great choir 
of singers in the temple. The arrangement of the 119th Psalm is 
very peculiar. It is divided into twenty-two sections — the number 
of the Hebrew letters, and each of the verses in the several sections, 
commences with the letter with which the section is headed. Thus 
each of the eight verses under the head of Aleph commences, in 
the Hebrew, with Aleph ; and each of the eight verses, under the 
head of Beth, commences with Beth. Whether the verses of this 
long Psalm were so arranged to assist the memory, or for some 
other purpose, we do not know. The general subject of the Psalms 
is the law.^ the testimonies.^ the statutes., the commandments^ — in 
other words, the revealed truth and will of God., setting forth their 
excellence and their happy results. The whole has been compared 
to a string of beads, the several verses having little connection one 
with another, except that they all relate to the same general topic. 
Whether David composed and arranged this long Psalm, or whether 
it was put together by some subsequent comiDiler, it is impossible 
to tell. Its noble sentiments, as well as the position in which it 
stands, all go to proclaim it the word of the living God. 

S. — The Psalms taken together are certainly a Divine book; but 
there are passages in them, — I refer to the imprecations, — which 
sometimes trouble me. Will you favor us with your opinion in 
respect to them? 

E. — The imprecations in the Psalms, — over which infidels have 
long gloried, and with which good people are often perplexed, — are 
not of so difficult interpretation as is commonly supposed. Some 
of them are mere predictions of what loill overtake the wicked, with- 
out expressing any malevolent desire. Others may be regarded as 
a description of feelings entertained at the time, without endorsing 



CONVERSATIOSS ON THE BIBLE. 323 

or justifying the feelings expressed ; in which case, inspiration is 
only responsible for giving an accurate description. This remark 
may perhaps apply to the closing verses of the 137th Psalm. The 
writer of this Psalm, — either during his residence in Babylon, or 
after his return, — sets himself doAvn to describe the feelings of the 
captives. " By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down ; we wept 
when we remembered Zion. We hanged our harps upon the 
willows, in the midst thereof; For there, they that carried ns away 
captive required of us a song ; and they that wasted us required of 
us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion. How shall we 
sing the Lord's song in a strange land ? " The description, thus 
commenced, goes on, obviously, to the end of the sixth verse ; and 
why not suppose it to reach to the end of the Psalm ? The captives 
in their misery are represented as saying, " O daughter of Babylon 
which art to be destroyed ! happy shall he be that rewardeth thee 
as thou hast served us ! Happy shall he be that taketh and clasheth 
thy little ones against the stones ! " This is Avhat the writer of the 
Psalms affirms that the captives said and sung at the time. He gives 
a faithful account of it, without endorsing the sentiment expressed. 

But most of the imprecations in the Psalms are to be regarded as 
Divine denunciations against the wicked. David was an inspired 
prophet of God. As the anointed ruler of Israel, he stood in the 
place of God ; and through him God denounced the severest judg- 
ments upon the wicked, — as he does in thousands of other places in 
the Bible. Nor are these denunciations more severe or unaccount- 
able than some which fell, or will yet fall, from the lips of the 
Savior. " Woe unto you. Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites ! " 
" Depart, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and 
his angels. 

S, — If I understand you, you would assume the inspiration of 
David, in accounting for his imprecations. 

F. — Most certainly I would. If we were to regard David, in 
some of his imprecations, as speaking out of his own private feel- 
ings, and mixing them up, as they often are, with his highest and 



324 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

devoutest aspirations, this would indeed be unaccountable. But 
when we regard him as the prophet of God, standing in the place of 
God, and giving utterance to GocCs denunciations against the 
wicked, the whole aspect of the thing is changed. We can under- 
stand now what it might be difficult to explain on any other suppo- 
sition. 

S. — How do you account for it that these Psalms have been so 
precious to the people of God in all ages, — not only to those for 
whom they w^ere first written, but to Christians everywhere — to 
Christians now? 

F. — I account for it, in the first place, because they are so 
admirably adapted to the w^orship of God ; and worship is sweet to 
the children of God everywhere, and at all times. Then the Psalms 
are ever precious to the people of God, because they deal so largely 
in religious experience. A religious man is rarely, if ever, placed 
in circumstances where he will not find, in the Psalms, something 
appropriate to his case. Hence, in sickness, in bereavements, in 
persecutions, in old age, and on the bed of death, the Psalms 
become an invariable and most valuable companion. To the end 
of the world, the Psalms will occupy the same place, in religious 
experience, which they now do. To the end of the world, they will 
impart solace to the afflicted, and peace to the dying, as they have 
done for thousands of years that are past. 



CONVERSATION XLI. 

THE PKOVERBS.— Was Solomon the author of them all.— The three thousand prov- 
erbs. — King Lemuel. — Location of his kingdom. — The design of tlie Proverbs. — Why 
tliey seldom refer to the Sabbath. — Eemarks regarding their style. — Their practical 
value and adaptation to mankind. 

Son. — This book is called, in the first verse of it, " the Proverbs 
of Solomon." Did Solomon write the whole of it ? 

Father. — He did not. The first six verses, which are intro- 
ductory, and the two last chapters, he did not write. Possibly, he 
may not have originated some of the Proverbs. But of the book 
in general, he was the author. 

S. — Are there any sectional divisions in this book, as in the 
Psalms ? 

F. — Yes ; there are five. Commencing with the seventh verse of 
the first Chapter, the first section extends to the close of Chapter 
ninth. This section consists, not of short pithy Proverbs, but of 
moral, religious instruction and warning, drawn out to considerable 
length. The second section consists entirely of Proverbs, and 
reaches to Chapter xxii., 17. The third section commences with 
the exhortation : '' Bow down tliine ear, and hear the words of the 
wise." This section, as to the form of it, is like the first, and con- 
tinues to the end of Chapter xxiv. Thus far, the book may have 
been prepared and published in the days of Solomon. The fourth 
section commences with the twenty -fifth chapter, and contains 
"the Proverbs of Solomon Avhich the men of Hezekiah, king of 
Judah copied out." Of course, this part of the book was annexed 
to the preceding, some three hundred years after Solomon was dead. 
These "men of Plezekiah" had a large amount of material from 
which to select; since we are told that "Solomon spake three 
thousand Proverbs." 

The fifth section comprises the two last chapters which Solomon 
never saw. They contain " the words of Agur," and " the words 
of king Lemuel." Tliey may hove been annexed to the book by 



326 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

the "men of Hezekiah," and the whole collection was thus com- 
pleted. The introduction seems to have been written at the same 
time. 

aS'. — What are w^e to think of Wisdom., which speaks so impress- 
ively in the eighth chapter of this book ? Is it a personified attri- 
bute of God ? or is it the Son of God ? 

F. — If it is a personification of the Divine Wisdom, its voice is 
entitled to the most reverent attention. It is the voice of God. 
But I incline to regard it, not as a personification at all, but as the 
veritable Logos., the Son of God. This agrees entirely with the 
account which the speaker gives of himself. " The Lord possessed 
me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old. I was set 
up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was. 
When he prepared the heavens, I was there ; when he set a compass 
upon the face of the depth, then Avas I by him, as one brought up 
with him, and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him.'' 
Nearly all the ancient and most modern expositors have regarded 
the speaker here as the Christ. And the changes which subse- 
quently passed upon the original word indicate the same. This 
word was well translated b}^ the Seventy, sophia. This was changed 
by Philo and other Alexandrian critics into logos ; and this word 
the Apostle John appropriately adopts as a name of Christ. Thus 
the Logos of John may be traced historically back to the original 
word translated wisdoin in the Proverbs. 

S. — Who were Agur and the king Lemuel spoken of in the two 
last chapters of the Proverbs ? 

F, — According to the rendering in our English version, it is impos- 
sible to say who they were. That the}' were Israelites is evident, since 
these chapters were written originall}' in Hebrew. Bat what Israel- 
itish king or kingdom existed in or near Palestine, in the times of 
the kings of Judah and Israel, who can tell? Professor Stuart 
gets some light on the subject from a passage of the sacred history 
recorded in 1 Chron. iv. 39-43. It seems from the^e verses that, in 
the days of King Hezekiah, a band of the Simeonites migrated into 



CONVERSATIOXS ON THE BIBLE. 327 

Idumea in quest of pasture for their flocks. They destroyed the 
original inhabitants, and there formed a little community or king- 
dom for themselves. This territory was originally called Massa, from 
Massa, one of the sons of Ishmael who settled there (see Gen. xxv. 
14). Massa is rendered ijrophecy in our translation ; but Professor 
Stuart makes it a proper name, and thus translates the first verse of 
Proverbs, Chapter xxx. '' The words of Agur, the son of her who 
ruled in Massa, ' 1 have toiled for God, I have toiled for God,' " ^. e. 
to find the knowledge of God, " and have ceased. Surely, I am more 
brutish than any man, and have not the understanding of a man." 

King Lemuel, Professor Stuart thinks may have been the brother 
of Agur, and succeeded his mother in the government of Massa. 
The first verse of chapter thirty-first is thus translated : " The 
words of Lemuel, king of jNLassa, which his mother taught him." 
This supposition accounts for a Hebrew community outside of Pal- 
estine, in the time of Hezekiah, and meets all the exigencies of the 
case. If the translation of Professor Stuart is admissible, we feel 
inclined to adopt it. It throws light on one of the darkest portions 
of the Old Testament. 

aS'. — We Avill pass from the dark and the difficult in the book of 
Proverbs to thino^s which are more obvious. What do vou resfard 
as the main design and object of the book? 

F. — Undoubtedly, the main design was, to inculcate practical wis- 
dom in managing the common intercourse aiid affairs of life. In 
its main aspects, it is moral, social, practical. Still, the subject of 
religion is not ignored. Its first words (after the introduction) are, 
'' The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge ; " and this 
sentiment is never lost sight of or forgotten. Its warnings are, 
some of them, most impressive, and its denunciations terrible. 
Witness the latter part of the first chapter : " Wisdom crieth with- 
out," etc., to the end. 

aS'. — How do you account for it that there is, in the book before 
us, so little reference to the Sabbath, and to the religious rites and 
festivals of the Israeliteii? 



328 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

F. — Not, surely, on the ground that these rights were neglected 
in the days of Solomon, or that he set no value upon them. The 
truth is, he had no occasion to speak of them particularly. They 
did not come within his plan. The magnificent temple which he 
built, and the costly service which he established there, show in 
what estimation he held the rites of his religion ; but in a book 
like that before us they would have been out of place. 

S. — What have you to say further as to the style and method of 
this book ? 

F. — It is written after the usual manner of the HebreAV poets. 
We find the parallelism everywhere. In its proverbial style, it 
seems to have created a pattern, rather than followed one. In the 
subsequent ages, this method of inculcating truth became exceed- 
ingl}^ popular all over the East. We have examples of it in the 
aphorisms of the son of Sirach, and in what is called, in the 
Apocrypha, ''the Wisdom of Solomon" For long ages, the wis- 
dom of the East flowed chiefly in this channel. Pithy sayings, not 
homilies; pointed maxims, and not long discourses, prevailed every- 
where. And this mode of teaching has its advantages. It makes 
an impression, and is much more likely to be remembered. 

The book of Proverbs is emphatically one for all time. As man 
is essentially the same being, at all times and in all places, the rules 
and principles here laid down apply to him everywhere. There i's 
very little in the book of Proverbs which is not as applicable to us 
in these days, as it was to the Hebrews three thousand years ago. 
The value of such a book, — couched in such pithy and pungent 
language, — must be in the future, as it is now, very great. Its 
usefulness will cease only when men cease to live and act like men 
in all their social and civil relations. In other words, it will not 
cease till earth and time shall be no more. 



CONVERSATION XLIL 

ECCLESIASTES.— "Wliy so called.— Ancient Hebrew name.— Its author —The plan.— 
Considered a drama by some. — Other opinions. — The question ol the piety of Solomon. 
— Evidences of his repentance and recovery. — The grand object of wise men at this 
period. — Valuable lessons to be derived from this book. 

Son. — Why is this book called Ecclesiastes? 

Father, — This is the name given to it by the Septuagint transla- 
tors. The Hebrew name of the book is Coheleth^ — both words 
signifying preacher. The book may well be called the preacher ; or 
more properly, perhaps, a preachment^ a discourse. It is a discourse, 
which may have been delivered, originally, to an assembled multi- 
tude of Israelites, and recorded, under a Divine inspiration, to be 
read in their assemblies, and in the church of God, to the end of 
time. 

S. — Who was the author of the book? 

F. — I agree with the Rabbins, and with almost the entire body of 
commentators, ancient and modern, in regarding Solomon as the 
author of this book. Indeed, I see not how this opinion should 
ever have been called in question. In the first verse of the book, 
the writer says : " The words of the preacher, the son of David, 
king of Jerusalem." But none of the sons of David, except Solo- 
mon, ever was king of Jerusalem. And much that the writer says 
of himself, in other parts of the book, agree to Solomon and to no 
one else. 

S. — At what period of his life is it supposed that Solomon wrote 
this book ? 

F. — It must have been written by him late in life. Much of the 
knguage of the book is manifestly the language of years — of long 
continued observation and experience. " I made me great works, 
I builded me houses; planted me vineyards ; made me gardens and 
orchards, and pools of water to water the same. I got me servants 
and maidens, and had servants born in my house." To be able to 

21 



330 CONVERSATIOXS ON THE BIBLE. 

say this, and much more of the same sort, the writer must have 
lived a course of years. In the last chapter of the book, the author 
presents himself before us as an old man. With him, the period 
had arrived when " The grasshopper was a burthen," and " desire 
failed." The years had come, in which he was constrained to say, 
'' I have no pleasure in them." 

S. — What may we regard as the plan of this book ? 

F. — Critics differ on this point. Some speak of it as a drama, 
where there are several speakers, each giving utterance to his own 
opinions. But who these speakers are, and where they are intro- 
duced — where the drama, — if it be one, — begins or ends, no one 
can tell. The whole has the appearance of having been uttered by 
one speaker. The preacher, the author of it is one. 

aS'. — Some critics regard the book as a regular, methodical treat- 
ise concerning the highest good of man, showing in what it does 
not consist, and in Avhat it does. 

F. — I know they do ; and they go so far as to point out the dif- 
ferent parts of the discourse, — the introduction, the divisions, the 
topics of argument, the peroration, etc. But to common minds, 
these different sections of the book are not obvious. Indeed, 
it is not likely that the royal preacher had any particular plan or 
method in mind, in writing the book before us. 

S. — What then is the general design and subject of the book ? 

F. — In the course of his life, Solomon had mingled largely with 
the world. He had amassed its riches, he had attained its honors, 
he had pursued and enjoyed its pleasures to the full; and when he 
had run the whole giddy round, and made a complete exj)eriment, 
he sits down, under a Divine inspiration, to record the result, as he 
had learned it in his own experience. And he does it in the most 
emphatic terms — terms which lie at the basis, and constitute the 
motto, the text, of the entire discourse : "Vanity of vanities, saith 
the preacher ; vanity of vanities, all is vanity." 

And as it was experience which led Solomon to the choice of his 
text, so the greater part of the discourse is to be regarded as a rela- 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 331 

lion of his own personal exj^erience. At least, this is the idea ^vhich, 
as it seems to me, we are to carry with us through the entire book, 
if we would rightly understand it. We are to regard it as proceed- 
ing from Solomon the aged, and to be, in great measure, an account 
of the workings of his own mind — a narrative of what he had seen, 
thought and felt, purposed and accomplished, during his eventful 
life, and of the conclusions to which he was solemnly brought at 
the close of it. Mingled with the narrative, there w^ould be, Ave 
might expect, many wise suggestions and counsels; and so, in fact, 
we find them. Here are striking analogies, weighty instructions, 
solemn warnings, pungent reproofs ; but the leading idea, running 
thrcugh the whole, is that of experience: carrying this idea along 
with us, it will not be hard to understand those parts of the book, 
which have been regarded as of most difficult interpretation. 

S. — Do you regard Solomon as a truly pious man ? 

F. — Most certainly T do. He became pious in his youth. It is 
said of him, in early life, that " he loved the Lord exceedingly."' 
Think also of his prayers, at the time of his inauguration, and at 
the dedication of the temple, and of the glorious answers with 
which his supplications were crowned. It was not till the eleventh 
year of his reign that the temple was dedicated, when he offered 
that memorable dedicatory prayer ; and it was several years after 
this, that " the Lord appeared unto him the second time," and 
renewed his gracious promises, on condition of continued fidelity ; 
while at the same time he severely threatened him, in case he 
declined. It may be said of Solomon therefore, — we Jiope it may, 
— that, during the greater part of his reign, he walked in the ways 
of David his father. 

S. — How do you account for the declension and fall of so good a 
man as Solomon? 

F. — Of course, I cannot assign any good reason for it ; and yet it 
was not a strange or unaccountable occurrence. It could hardly 
be expected of a good man, Avho plunged so deeply into the world 
— who drank so largely of the Circean cup, that he should escape 



332 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE, 

unharmed. In the earnest pursuit of knowledge and of wealth, in 
the possession of increased and increasing honors, in the indul- 
gence, to satiety, of sensual pleasures, and some of them forbidden 
pleasures, his heart became engrossed, his conscience blunted, and 
his affections were drawn away from God. In the simple but 
expressive language of Scripture, "when Solomon was old, his 
wives turned away liis heart after other gods." 

jS. — How long did Solomon's declension probably continue ? 

F, — We do not know definitely; but as he was advanced in life 
before it commenced, and he was undoubtedly recovered from it 
before he died, we may hope that it did not continue very long. 
And while it did continue, Solomon was not as one who had never 
loved the Lord. " His wisdom," we are told, " remained with him." 
He had desires, endeavors, struggles, conflicts, monitions of con- 
science, and strivings of the Spirit, such as are known only to the 
child of God. The Avorkings of his great mind at this melancholy 
period must have been very peculiar, and to record them for the 
benefit of others, seems to have been a principal object with him in 
writing Ecclesiastes. 

S. — What seems to have been a problem with the wise men of 
the East, at the time of Solomon ? 

F. — It was to discover the summum honum — the chief good of 
man. Solomon went into this investigation.. He sought to dis- 
cover " what is that good for the sons of men which they should 
do under heaven, all the days of their life." The method which 
he took in pursuing this inquiry was not one of philosophical spec- 
ulation, but of induction, of fact. As he had abundant means for 
making the experiment, he determined to test it in his own experi- 
ence. And so we find him, according to his own account of the 
matter, turning this way and that, chasing first this phantom and 
then that, and pronouncing one after another to be " vanity and 
vexation of spirit." " I said in my heart, Go to now, I will prove 
thee with mirth ; therefore, enjoy pleasure. And behold this also 
is vanity " (Chap. ii. 1). 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 333 

Again : " I sought in my heart to give myself unto wine, and to 
lay hold on fully. I made me great works ; I builded me houses ; 
I planted me vineyards, etc. And whatsoever my eyes desired, I 
kept not from them. I withheld not my heart from any joy. 
Then I looked on all the work of my hands, and on all the labor 
that I had labored to do, and behold all was vanity and vexation 
of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun " (Chap. ii. 3-11). 

Still another experiment Solomon tells us of. " I applied my heart 
to know and to seek out wisdom, and the reason of things, and to 
know the wickedness of folly, even of foolishness and madness. 
And I find more bitter than death the woman, whose heart is snares 
and nets, and her hands as bands" (Chap. vii. 25-28). 

S. — Does Solomon confess to his having had improper, sinful 
thoughts at times ? 

F. — Yes, often. At one time, he said in his heart, " As it hap- 
peneth to the fool, so it happeneth even to me; and why was I then 
more wise ? This also is vanity." Again he said, " There is noth- 
ing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and that 
he should make his soul enjoy good in his labor " (Chap. ii. 15, 24). 
When he " considered all the oppressions that are done under the 
sun, and the tears of such as were oppressed, and they had no 
comforter, then," says he, " I praised the dead which are already 
dead, more than the living which are yet alive " (Chap. iv. 1, 2). 

When Solomon saw that " there be just men unto whom it hap- 
peneth according to the work of the wicked ; and that there be 
wicked men unto whom it happeneth according to the work of the 
righteous; then," says he, "I commended mirth; because a man 
hath no better thing under the sun than to eat, drink, and be 
merry ; for that shall abide with him of his labor all the days of 
his life" (Chap. viii. 14, 15). 

On one occasion, Solomon expresses the following strange opin- 
ions : "All things come alike to all. There is one event to the 
righteous and to the wicked ; to the good, to the clean, and to the 
unclean ; to him that sacrificeth, and to him that sacrificeth not. 



334 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

As is the good, so is the sinner ; and he that sweareth, as he that 
feareth an oath " (Chap. ix. 2). 

At another time, he Was so much beside himself as to believe and 
say : " That which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts ; even 
one filing befalleth them. As the one dieth, so dieth the other ; 
yea, they have all one breath ; so that a man hath no pre-eminence 
above a beast" (Chap. ix. 19, 20). 

S, — If I understand you, you think that Solomon is not here 
expressing his present matured opinions^ but rather telling what his 
thoughts had been at different times — relating his past experience 
— confessing the vain and simple thoughts which he had at times 
indulged. 

F. — Exactly so ; and these expressions are not to be quoted as 
the word of God, or the word of Solomon in his sober, sanctified 
state, but rather as a confession of evil thoughts which had been 
obtruded upon him, in seasons of temptation. 

aS'. — We are much obliged to you, father, for your explanation 
of the dark passages above quoted. They relieve the book of 
one of the strongest objections ever made to it, and are quite 
satisfactory. Let us now turn to more agreeable topics. Is 
there not much holy, revealed truth brought out in the book be- 
fore us ? 

F. — There certainly is. We have here set before us not only the 
vanity and emptiness of the world, but the being, the perfections, 
the sovereignty and providence of God. We are impressively 
taught the evil nature and terrible consequences of sin. We are 
taught the immortality of the human spirit, which, when the body 
returns to the earth as it was, is said to return to God who gave it. 
We also learn the certainty of a coming judgment, and of a future 
and righteous retribution. " Know thou that, for all these things, 
God will bring thee into judgment." " God shall bring every work 
into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or 
whether it be evil." 

S. — We have heard of Solomon's declension in his old age. Is 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 335 

there sufficient evidence in the book before us of his repentance 
and recovery ? 

F. — I think there is. We know the temptations which beset and 
overcame Solomon. We know the courses of worldliness and sen- 
suality upon which he entered, and which proved the occasion of 
his fall. And now in the book before us, he makes full and honor- 
able confession of all this. He tells us that he did enter upon 
these forbidden courses, and why he entered upon them, and how 
they proved to him a ••' vexation of spirit " — a source of anguish 
" more bitter than death." He goes into particulars on this painful 
subject, palliating nothing, concealing nothing, and disclosing the 
humiliating and terrible results to which he successively came. 

S. — Is there not something peculiar in the phraseology of Solo- 
mon's confessions ? 

F. — There certainly is. The fool, with Solomon, is a wicked 
man, and madness and folly are equivalent to transgression and sin. 
When he tells us, therefore, that he " gave his heart to know mad- 
ness and folly," and " to lay hold on folly," this is a solemn confes- 
sion of guilt. The phrase " vexation of spirit," so frequently 
recurring, is one of peculiar intensity. It imports contrition of 
spirit, a breaking of the heart. 

The book of Ecclesiastes, therefore, or a considerable part of it, 
is to be regarded in much the same light as the penitential Psalms 
of David. It is a relation, from the life of Solomon himself, of his 
own distressing experience in wandering away from God. It is a 
public acknowledgment of sin and guilt. And we can hardly con- 
ceive of a more interesting spectacle than to see this great and 
good man — this wisest of ancient kings — assembling his courtiers 
and his people round him, near the close of life, to tell them of his 
mistakes and errors, and of the pain which these things gave him ; 
to make confession before them of his sins, and to warn them from 
following in the same forbidden paths ; — taking occasion, at the 
same time, to utter the most weighty counsels, to publish the most 
solemn truths, and to lead forward the minds of all, whether young 



336 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

or old, to the grand conclusion, " Fear God and keep his command- 
ments, for this is the whole duty of man^ 

S. — Are there not valuable lessons of 'instruction to be gathered 
from this book ? 

F. — There are indeed; — lessons for the aged, lessons for the 
young, and, more especially, lessons for the worldly-minded — those 
that love and pursue the world. Of all men that ever lived, Solo- 
mon had the highest advantages for making a full experiment 
of the world. And he entered upon the experiment with the 
greatest earnestness. He tried it, too, in all its forms. If wealth 
can make any one happy, it should have made him so ; for he pos- 
sessed it to repletion. He acquired gold, until he hardly knew what 
to do with it. So if worldly honor can make any mortal happy, 
it should have had this effect upon Solomon ; for he had climbed 
all its steeps, and reposed securely on its summit. Or if worldly 
and sensual pleasures can confer happiness, then Solomon must 
have been superlatively happy ; for he denied himself no gratifica- 
tion of this sort. He withheld not his heart from any joy. Or if 
true happiness is to be found in outward splendor and magnifi- 
cence, or in the successful accomplishment of great undertakings, 
then Solomon must have been a happy man. For, in respect to 
these, he excelled all the monarchs of the East. His fame went 
abroad to distant nations, and kings came together to hear his 
wisdom, and to see his glory. 

Such, then, was the experiment which Solomon actually and 
personally made. Snch was the extent to which he tried, pursued, 
acquired, and possessed the world. And what was the result ? 
Solomon has recorded it — recorded it in mature old age — truly and 
faithfully recorded it — recorded it with the pen of inspiration. 
And what is it? Lovers of the world hearken. What is itf 
" Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher, vanity of vani- 
ties, ALL IS VANITY." " I tried this experiment," saith the preacher, 
"and I found it vanity and vexation of spirit. I tried that, and I 
found it vanity and vexation of spirito I tried a third, and it was 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 337 

vanity and vexation of spirit. And so it was with them all ; all 
was vanity and vexation of spirit." 

Lovers of the world, * is not this enough? Ought not this to 
satisfy you ? Having tried everything earthly, and found it vain, 
Solomon repaired anew to the unfailing source of good. He came 
back to the fountain of living w^aters. To fear God and keep his 
commandments he found to be the whole duty and the highest 
happiness of man. Let my world-loving readers come to the same 
conclusion, and they shall experience the same result. 



CONVERSATION XLIII. 

SONG OF SOLOMON. — Is this an inspired book, and does it belong to the canon of the 
Old Testament ? — Its estimation among the Jews — How considered among early Chris- 
tians. — A Hebrew love song three thousand years old. — An allegory. — Evidences given. 
—Indelicacies. — This explained. — The geueral design of the book. 

Son. — There can be no question about the author of this book, 
since, in the first verse, it is expressly ascribed to Solomon. But 
do you think this an inspired book ? Does it belong to the canon 
of the Old Testament ? 

Father. — I certainly think it an inspired book, if it belongs to the 
Bible ; for Paul tells us that " all Scripture is given by inspiration 
of God." And that it belongs to the canon of the Old Testament— 
that old Testament which our Savior read, endorsed, and sanc- 
tioned, is indubitable. It must have been a part of the Old Testa- 
ment at least two hundred years before Christ was born; since it is 
found in the Septuagint, and has always made a part of that cele- 
brated translation. 

S. — How w^as it estimated among the Jews, and by Christians in 
former times ? 

F. — Among the Jews, it has ever been held in the highest estima- 
tion. Rabbi Akiba, who lived in the second century after Christ, 
says : " No man in Israel ever doubted the canonicity of the Song 
of Songs ; for the course of ages cannot vie with the day when that 
song was given to Israel. All the sacred books are indeed holy 
things ; but this is as the holy of holies." Other distinguished 
Jewish writers speak of it in the same w^ay. And the same may be 
said of most of the Christian fathers. This book has been greatly 
esteemed, also, by some of the most pious men of modern times, 
such as Leighton, Rutherford, President Edwards and McCheyne. 
Describing his feelings at a time of high religious enjoyment. Presi- 
dent Edwards says : " The whole book of Canticles used to be 
pleasant to me, and I used to be much in reading it about that time ; 
and I found from time to time an inward sweetness in it, that would 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 339 

carry me away in my contemplations." Indeed, the spirit of 
Edwards, in liis seasons of high enjoyment, is just that in which this 
book can best be studied and estimated. It is not the men of his 
stamp, but dry, cold, barren critics who have faulted it and been 
inclined to reject it. 

S. — The song is manifestly a drama. Who are the principal 
speakers — the dramatis personce ? 

F. — The principal speakers are Shelomoh and Shelomith, or Solo- 
mon and his bride. There is also a chorus of virgins, called 
" Daughters of Jerusalem ; " and near the close, two brothers of 
Shelomith appear, and each of them speaks twice (Chap. viii. 8). 
Literally, this song is a Hebrew love-song, written three thousand 
years ago ; but interpreted allegorically, it is beautiful and instruct- 
ive, setting forth the love of Christ for his church, and the delight- 
ful and everlasting union between them. 

S. — But what reasons have you for thinking it an allegory? 
What authority for giving it such an interpretation ? 

F. — My first reason for thinking it an allegory is, its place in the 
Old Testament. The canon of the old Testament was settled by 
inspired men after the return of the Jews from Babylon, and chiefly, 
it is supposed, under the direction of Ezra. Now if the Avriting 
before us had been a mere love-song, Ezra would never have 
admitted it into the canon, nor would it have been retained there 
through the intervening ages, till the coming of Christ. 

Then the figure of marriage, here employed, is of continual 
occurrence, in both Testaments, to set forth the union between the 
Lord and his church. I need not refer to passages. They will 
occur to every reader of the Bible. We find this representation 
even in heaven. " Come hither," says the revealing angel^ ** and I 
will show you the hride., the Lamb's wife " (Rev. xxi. 9). The song 
of Solomon is but the personifying, the putting into the concrete, of 
the general representation of Scripture on the subject. 

Things are also said in this song, both of the bride and by her, 
which can never be interpreted literally. If they are not allegory, 



340 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

they are a monstrosity. The bride is compared to a " company of 
horses, in Pharaoh's chariots" (Chap. i. 9). She is "comely as 
Jerusalem, and terrible as an army with banners" (Chap. vi. 4). 
Her "neck is like a tower of David, builded for an armory, 
whereon they hang a thousand bucklers, all shields of mighty men " 
(Chap. iv. 4). "Thy neck is as a tower of ivory; thine eyes like 
the fish-pools in Heshbon ; thy nose is as the tower of Lebanon ; 
thy head upon thee is like Carmel" (Chap. vii. 4). And so far 
from being offended with such bombast as this, the bride says of 
herself: "I am a wall, and my breasts are lii^e towers" (Chap, 
viii. 10). Representations such as these may well find a place in 
an eastern allegory, but they could never belong to a literal love- 
song anywhere. The comparisons employed forbid it. 

I may further add, that the Jewish critics have always understood 
the Song of Solomon as an allegory; and in this they have been 
followed by the great body of Christian writers, both in ancient 
and modern times. Even RosenmuUer, though a rationalist, decides 
for the allegorical interpretation, as the only one possible. 

S. — But does not the Song contain indelicats expressions, such 
as cannot be supposed to belong to an inspired book ? 

F. — There are fewer expressions of this sort than is generally 
supposed ; and those which occur are chiefly owing to the transla- 
tion. With regard to the question of delicacy, the views of people 
change with every generation. The English language in the time 
of Elizabeth, compared with that of the present day, is full proof 
of this. In a poem or drama three thousand j^ears old, we may 
well expect some deviation from our present notions of propriety 
and delicacy; though it will not be found greater in the Song of 
Solomon, when properly translated, than in Hesiod or Homer, or 
even Spenser or Shakespeare. 

aS'. — Assuming then the allegorical interpretation of the Song, 
what do you regard as its general design and import ? 

F. — Undoubtedly to set forth the mutual love of Christ and his 
people, — the vicissitudes, the trials, the backslidings, the repent- 



CONVERSATIOXS ON THE BIBLE. 341 



ings, and, finally, the eternal and perfect union of the church with 
its Lord and Savior. And all this it does most impressively set 
forth. No wonder, then, that this book has been, and is, so dear to 
the more spiritual of God's children. No wonder that, among all 
the Songs of Solomon, this should have been selec^.ed as " the Song 
of Songs " — the chiefest and sweetest of them all. 






CONVERSATION XLIY. 

PROPHETS IN THE TIME OF THE KINGS.— Nature of the prophetical office.— 
The first prophet — The succession till the time of the kings. — Elijah and Elisha.— The 
prophets of Baal slain. — Ascension of Elijah. — Miracles of Elisha.— No writings of 
either left. 

Son. — Since we are now to review a long succession of prophets, 
permit me to inquire as to the nature and design of the prophetical 
office. 

Father. — The prophets derived their office, as they did their 
messages, directly from God. The office w^as not hereditary, nor 
was it created by a popular election, or by any form of human 
appointment. The work of the prophets was very different from 
that of the priests. The priests approached God, in behalf of the 
people ; but the prophets approached the people, in behalf of God. 
They were his ambassadors, sent to reprove the wickedness of men, 
to denounce judgments upon them, and urge them to repentance. 
They were sent also to encourage and comfort the people of God, by 
promises and predicted rewards. Their office and work were more 
like those of the gospel minister, than like that of the Jewish priest. 

S. — Was there not a succession of prophets, even from the first ? 

F. — Yes ; Enoch, the seventh from Adam was a prophet ; and so 
were Noah, and Abraham, and Moses, and Samuel, and David, and 
many others. But we are now concerned with those who followed 
David, and lived in the times of the kings of Israel and Judah. 



We begin with 



ELIJAH AND ELISHA. 



S. — Pray tell us what you know of the great prophet Elijah. 

F. — We know nothing of his early histor}^ He breaks upon us 
like Melchizedek, without any mention of father or mother, or 
beginning of days. He is called the Tishbite, either from Tishba, a 
city beyond the Jordan, or from a Hebrew root signifying to 
reform. In the latter case, he might be called Elijah the reformer. 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 343 

S. — What was the state of things in Israel, ^yhen Elijah was called 
forth ? 

F. — It was a time of great corruption and wickedness. Ahab 
had married Jezebel, a Phoenician princess, and, in addition to 
the calves of Jeroboam, had introduced the worship of Baal and 
Ashtaroth — the gods and goddesses of Tyre. He built a temple for 
Baal in the new city of Samaria, and set up an altar, and made a 
grove, where all sorts of impurities were practiced. He was the 
first to set an example of persecution in Israel, by slaying the 
j)rophets of the Lord. " He did more to provoke the God of Israel 
to ano^er, than all the kino-s that were before him." 

To him was Elijah sent, for the first time, with this message : 
" There shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my 
word." The denunciation began at once to be inflicted ; and the 
result was a terrible famine, in which all the vegetation of the 
country was dried up. Meanwhile, Elijah was directed to hide him- 
self by the brook Cherith, bej'ond Jordan, where he was fed by 
the ravens for a whole year. And when the brook w^as dried up, 
he was sent by God to Zarephath, a city not far from Sidon. Here 
he lodged with a poor widow, whose barrel of meal and cruise of oil 
were not suffered to fail, during his stay at her house. Her dead 
son was also restored to life, at the word of Elijah. 

The famine had now continued three years and a half when, at 
the command of God, Elijah once more presented himself before 
Ahab. And when the king charged upon him the distress of the 
land, he flung back the charge upon the king himself, and offered to 
decide the question between God and Baal, b}' a miracle from heaven. 
The trial took place on the top of Carmel, where Elijah confronted 
and confounded the four hundred and fifty priests of Baal. Xo fire 
appeared to consume their sacrifice, though Baal was the reputed 
god of fire ; while the fire of Israel's God descended, and consumed 
the sacrifice of Elijah, and licked up the very water in the trenches 
about his altar. Seizing the favorable opportunity, Elijah at once 
demands, and the king consents, that the priests of Baal shall be 



344 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

slain. At the prayer of the prophet, a cloud now arises from the 
Mediterranean, and rain in abundance descends to water the land. 

Elijah hoped, it may be, that this timely relief might soften the 
heart of the wicked Jezebel, and he consented to go down with the 
king to Jezreel ; but hearing that she Avas angry and threatened his 
life, he made his escape. 

aS^ — And where did he go ? 

F. — He fled beyond the bounds of Palestine into the deserts of 
Arabia, and concealed himself at Horeb, the mount of God. Here 
the Lord appeared to him in a still small voice, rebuked the 
despondency of the prophet, and directed him to return into the 
land of Israel. On his way he was to anoint Hazael to be king 
over Syria, and Jehu to be king over Israel, and Elisha to be his 
successor in the prophetical office. He first found Elisha, and 
anointed him. The others were anointed at a later period. 

S. — After this, what do we hear of Elijah ? 

F. — He seems to have remained several years in retirement, when 
he was called again to confront Ahab. He met him at the field of 
Naboth the Jezreelite, whom he had plundered and murdered, and 
told him, in the name of the Lord, that he would requite him blood 
for blood; that his seventy sons should all be slain ; and that the 
dogs should feast on the flesh of Jezebel, — all which in a little time, 
was terribly fulfilled. 

aS'. — What more can you tell us of this wonderful prophet ? 

F. — After the death of Ahab, he retires again from the scene. 
But he is at length called forth to deal with Ahaziah, who had suc- 
ceeded to his father's throne. Ahaziah, having met with an injury, 
sent to consult with Baalzebub, the god of Ekron, in regard to the 
issue of his disease. Elijah is directed by God to go forth and meet 
the messengers of the king, and assure them that he should not 
recover. After the consuming of two bands of fifty which Ahaziah 
sent for Elijah's apprehension, he at length appeared before the 
king, and repeated the denunciation which he had before given. 

This was his last public effort for the reformation of Israel. 




THE TKAK'SILATION OF ElLMAHo 



Drawn and Engraved expressly foi- !he C' 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE, 347 

After visiting the schools of the prophets at Bethel, Gilgal, and 
Jericho, in company with Elisha, the two prophets crossed the 
Jordan, whose waters were divided to let them pass. And as they 
walked on together, " behold there appeared a chariot of fire, and 
horses of fire, and parted them asunder, and Elijah went up, by a 
whirlwind, into heaven." 

S.^—Do we hear anything farther from Elijah in the sacred his- 
tory ? 

F. — In the days of Jehoram, son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, 
several years after the translation of Elijah, there came a writing 
to him from the old prophet, reproving him for his wickedness, and 
denouncing upon him the sorest judgments (2 Chron. xxi. 12). 
Whether this writing came directly from heaven, or whether the 
prophet (foreseeing the wickedness of Jehoram) had left it for him 
before his ascension, I pretend not to say. It seems to have had 
no good eifect upon Jehoram. 

Once more we hear of Elijah in the sacred history. He visited 
the earth, in company with Moses, at the transfiguration of Christ, 
and conversed with him respecting his approaching decease at Jeru- 
salem (Matt. xvii. 3). 

S. — Just before the ascension of Elijah, Elisha said to him ; " I 
pray thee, let a double portion of thy Spirit rest on me." What 
was the purport of this request ? 

F. — My own opinion is, that he wished to be endowed with 
miraculous gifts, as fully as Elijah had been. We know that, in 
the Apostolic age, the bestowment of the Spirit by the laying on 
of hands generally meant no more than this (see Acts x. 46). It 
is certain that immediately after the ascension of Elijah, Elisha 
began to work miracles. For on returning over the Jordan, he 
smote the waters with Elijah's mantle, and they parked asunder 
to give him a passage. And when the sons of the prophets saw it, 
they said, " The Spirit of Elijah dost rest on Elisha." And during 
the remainder of his long life, miracles were wrought b}^ Elisha, as 
they had been by Elijah. He filled the valley with water, and 

22 



;:;48 conversations on the bible. 

saved the armies of Israel and Judah, when they were perishing 
with thirst (2 Kings iii. 20). He saved the widow of one of the 
prophets and her famil}^, by miraculously increasing her pot of oil 
(2 Kings iv. 4). He raised to life the son of the Shunamite (2 
Kings iv. ?*b). He also healed Naaman of his lepros}" ; he caused 
the iron ax to swim ; he smote with blindness those who were 
sent b}" the King of Syria to apprehend him ; he relieved Samaria 
in a time of siege and famine ; and after his death, a dead man was 
raised to life, by being thrown into Elisha's grave (2 Kings 
xiii. 21). 

By a series of miracles such as these was the attempt made to 
save the Israelites from idolatry, and from that ruin which im- 
pended over them. Elisha had less sternness and force of character 
than his predecessor, and was not qualified, hke him, to deal with 
such sinners as Ahab and Jezebel. His miracles were all of them 
miracles of mercy. He lived more than ninety years, and was sin- 
cerely mourned for at his death by Joash, a grandson of Jehu, 
whom he had caused to be anointed king of Israel. 

aS'. — To which of the Israelitish kingdoms did Elijah and Elisha 
minister ? 

F. — Almost exclusive^ to the ten tribes. 

S. — Did either of them leave anything in writing ? 

F. — Nothing, unless it be Elijah's letter to the king of Judah. 
Neither of them is to be numbered among the sacred writers. 



CONVERSATION XLY. 

PROPHETS IX TEIE TIME OF THE KINGS.— Jonah, Hosea and Amos.— Jonah and 
his Avork. — Eirst of the prophets sent to the heathen. — His call. — Attempts to evade it. 
— The result. — The great fish. — Speculation concerning it. — False or true. — Startling 
effect of his preaching in Nineveh.— God's veracity. — Jonah's gourd. — Hosea. — His pre- 
dictions and peculiar style. 

Son, — What prophets in Israel next follow Elijah and Elisha ? 

Father. — The four following were nearly contemporaries, viz.^ 
Jonah, Hosea, Joel, and Amos. They prophesied in the reigns of 
Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and of Jero- 
boam II., king of Israel. We begin with 

JONAH. 

aS'. — Who was Jonah, and where did he exercise his ministry? 

F. — He was the son of Amittai of Gath-hepher, and labored 
chiefly among the ten tribes. That he lived in the reign of Jero- 
boam II., one of the bravest of the kings of Israel, and predicted 
the great success of his arms, is certain from 2 Kings xiv. 26. 
He (Jeroboam) restored the coast of Israel from the entering in 
of Hamath unto the sea of the plain, according to the Avord of the 
God of Israel, which he spake by the hand of his servant Jonah, 
the son of Amittai, the prophet, which was of Gath-hepher. 

aS'. — To what self-denying labor was Jonah next called ? 

F. — The success of his predictions regarding the conquests of 
Jeroboam may have given him popularity in Israel, and brought 
him into favor with the king; and, with a view to try him, God 
directs him alone, of all the ancient prophets, to go on a mission 
to the heathen. " Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city " — the 
greatest city then in the world — the capital of the vast Assyrian 
empire — " and cry against it ; for their wickedness has come up 
before me." 

S. — And how did Jonah regard this call ? 

F. — He thought the labor, the hazard, the sacrifice too great, and 



350 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

lie could not submit to it. So instead of going to Xineveli, he 
rose up and went directly the other way. He went down to Joppa, 
the principal port of Palestine, and shipped himself to go to Tar- 
shish, thinking to escape from the presence of the Lord. 

aS'. — Where was Tarshish, of which we hear so much in the Old 
Testament ? 

F, — The Tarshish to whicli Jonah was fleeing is supposed to 
liaA^e been Tartessus, a city of the Phoenicians in the south of 
Spain, so named from a grandson of Japhet (see Gen. x. 4). 
There was another Tarshish in the East, to which the ships of Sol- 
omon and of Jehoshaphat Avent, by the way of the Red sea. 

S. — What befell Jonah in his attempt to escape from the pres- 
ence of the Lord? 

F. — The Lord soon taught him that he w^as in every place, and 
that there is no escaping from his presence or his power. He sent 
forth a great wind upon the sea, and the ship, with all it contained 
was likely to be s^Yaliowed up. Jonah confessed his sin to his ship- 
mates, and at his own request, — to appease the Divine anger, — 
was thrown overboard into the sea. " Now the Lord had prepared 
a great fish to swallow up Jonah, and he was in the belly of the 
fish three days and three nights'' (Chap. i. 17). 

S. — Do you regard this story as literally true, and worthy to be 
believed? 

F. — I do regard the account as literally true ; for the book of 
Jonah, unlike most of the other prophecies, is not poetr}^, but his- 
tory. And there is nothing incredible in the stor3\ Great fishes 
have often swallowed up men; and God could, b}^ a miracle, as 
well preserve Jonah in the belly of a great fish, as anywhere else. 
And when the object of the trial had been accomplished, he could 
cause the fish to " vomit out Jonah upon the dry land." It is 
enough to establish the truth of this miracle, that our Savior refers 
to it as a type of his own burial and resurrection (Matt. xii. 40). 

S. — After this wonderful deliverance, what does Jonah do? 

F. — He cousents to go to Nineveh, and deliver his message. He 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 351 

accomplishes the long and tedious journey, enters the devoted city, 
and cries through all the streets thereof, " Yet forty days, and 
Nineveh shall be destroyed." 

S. — And what was the effect of this startling cr}'? 

F. — It was wonderful, extraordinary. '' The people of Nineveh 
believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from 
the greatest of them even unto the least. The king also arose from 
his throne, and laid aside his robe, and covered himself with sack- 
cloth, and sat in ashes. And he caused it to be proclaimed 
throughout Nineveh, saying. Let not man nor beast, herd nor flock 
taste anything ; let them not feed nor drink water. But let man 
and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God ; 
yea, let every one turn from his evil way, and from the violence 
that is in his hands. AVho can tell if God will turn and repent, 
and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not ? And 
God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way ; and 
God repented of the evil that he had said he would do unto them, 
and he did it not " (Chap. iii. 5-10). 

aS'. — And in so doing, did not God forfeit his veracity ? Did he 
not fail of punishing, as he had said? 

F. — No ; a simple threatening in no case pledges the veracity of 
a sovereign. If so, it would leave no room for repentance. The 
denunciation, in this case, was intended, no doubt, to be condi- 
tional, although the condition is not expressed. " Yet forty days, 
a.nd Nineveh," — unless she repents, — " shall be destroyed." She 
aid repent, and in mercy was spared. 

S. — And were Jonah's feelings, on the sparing of the city, to be 
justified? 

F. — B}^ no means. They Avere unworthy, I do not say of an 
inspired prophet, but even of a man of ordinary benevolence. 
They showed that he needed yet other trials, in order to his per- 
fection. 

>S'. — Is Jonah to be regarded as a pious man ? 

F. — I hope so. His prayer, in what he calls "the belly of hell," 



352 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE, 

is one of humilit}^ of faith, of confidence in God ; and God heard 
him, and delivered him. With all his infirmities and imperfections, 
we trnst Jonah had the grace of God in his heart. 

S. — And what are we to think of the gourd Avhich was prepared 
to shelter him — which "came up in a night, and perished in a 
night ? " 

F. — If it literally grew to the size of a tree, in a single night, it 
must have been produced by a miracle. It was intended not only 
as a shelter for the irritable prophet, but as a reproof to him. If he 
felt so much for a gourd, for which he had not labored, should God 
have no feeling of compassion for a fasting, weeping, and seemingly 
penitent city, " wherein were more than six score thousand persons 
too young to discern between the right hand and the left ? " 

HOSEA. 

aS*. — What can }- on tell us of the prophet Hosea ? 

F. — Of his personal history we know nothing, except that he was 
the son of Beeri, and that he prophesied ''in the clays of Uzziah, 
Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of 
Jeroboam II., king of Israel." He was cotemporary with Jonah, 
but probably outlived him. He labored chiefly, but not exclusively, 
for the ten tribes. His ministry was a long one, extending over a 
space of not less than seventy years. 

aS'. — How are we to understand the strange command, issued in 
the very commencement of the prophecy : " Go, take thee a wife of 
whoredoms, and children of whoredoms." 

F. — It has been made a question, whether this language is to be 
understood literally, or allegorically. In either case, the act was 
intended to be symbolical, setting forth the terrible wickedness of 
Israel, in forsaking God, and worshiping idols. In favor of a literal 
interpretation, it is urged, that the language plainly indicates it, 
showing no sign of parable or figure. But to this it may be replied, 
that the same is true of other parables. Witness the parable of 
Jotham, in Judges ix. 8 : " The trees went forth, on a time, to 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 353 



anoint a king over them : and they said to the olive tree, Reign 
thou over us." And when the olive tree declined, they said the 
same to the fig tree, to the vine, and to the bramble. How do we 
know that Jotham here utters a parable? It will be said, no doubt, 
tliat, literally understood, his words involve a physical impossi- 
bility. And does not the command to Hosea, literally understood, 
involve a moral impossibility ? It would have been a sin for Hosea 
to marry a public prostitute, and raise up children of like character, 
to be called by opprobrious names. For wdiat does the marriage 
covenant imply? That he must love and honor this wicked woman, 
that he must cherish and comfort her, that he must support her, live 
with her, and be to her a faithful husband for life. Now for Hosea 
to have bound himself, in covenant, to do all this for such a woman 
Avould have been a wrong, a sin. And God cannot command his 
creatures to sin. In the progress of the story, it appears that this 
woman was an adulteress (Chap, iii.) ; and yet the prophet was to 
take her as a Avife. But this, according to our Savior's teaching, 
would be adultery on his part. "Whoso marrieth " such an one, 
''' committeth adulter^/'' (Luke xvi. 18). And could God literally 
command the prophet to commit adultery ? 

For myself, I must confess, that I feel the force of this reasoning, 
and feel inclined, with Calvin, to accept the whole story as a para- 
ble. Thus interpreted, it Avould answer the purpose of a symbol 
just as well, and tlie difficulty of a literal marriage would be 
avoided. The parable, if it be one, seems to go on through the first 
three chapters. The remaining chapters are chiefly occupied with 
the application of it, — pressing home upon the Israelites their horri- 
ble wickedness, as illustrated in the story of the adulterous marriage. 

S. — Does the book of Hosea contain any obvious predictions ? 

F. — There are many predictions of the approaching overthrow 
of the kingdom of Israel, which were terribly fulfilled in the inva- 
sion of Shalmaneser. There are predictions, also, of the restoration 
of Israel, in the latter days. '' I will heal their backslidings ; I 
will love them freely. I will be as the dew unto Israel ; he shall 



354 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

grow as the lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon " (Chap. 
xiv. 4). 

/S'.-^What do you think of the style of this book ? 

F. — The first three chapters are prose. The remainder is for 
the most part poetry. But whether poetry or prose the style is 
peculiar. We find here no full, flowing sentences, after the man- 
ner of Joel, but the utterances are short, abrupt, and often obscure 
and disconnected. One must read the lines often, in order to see 
their connection, and understand them. In this respect, Hosea 
is perhaps the most perplexing to the interpreter of any of the 
Hebrew prophets. 

S. — And what shall be said as to the spirit of the book ? 

F. — Though it abounds with denunciation, still it is not harsh. 
The spirit is one of wounded, offended love. God is terribly 
incensed at the unfaithfulness of his people, his' bride, but still he 
loves her, and cannot give her up. By every mode of address, he 
strives to bring her back to his embrace, and closes with the assur- 
ance that his desire, at length, shall be accomplished. " Ephraim 
shall say. What have I to do any more with idols ? Neither will 
we say any more to the work of our hands, Ye are our gods." 



CONVERSATION XLYI. 

PROPHETS IN THE TIME OF THE IvIXGS.— The prophet Joel.— Time of his 
writing. — His smooth and fluent style. — Amos.— Originally a shepherd. — Condition of 
Israel at this time. — Division of the booii of Joel. — Comparison with the other proph- 
ets. — His fearful denunciation of the high priest. 

Son. — How much do we know of the prophet Joel ? 

Father. — Very little, except what is told us in the first verse of 
the book, or may be gathered from circumstances incidentally men- 
tioned in it. He is said to have been the son of Pethuel;but who 
Pethuel was, or in what part of the country he lived, we have no 
knoAvledge. That Joel lived in Judah, and probably at Jerusalem, 
may be inferred from the fact that, while he makes no reference to 
the other kingdom, he speaks of Jerusalem, the priests, the temple, 
the ceremonies and rites, with a familimity which proves them to 
have been before his ej^es. 

aS'. — At what period of the Jewish history did he flourish? 

^.— This can be gathered onl}^ from incidental notices. That he 
makes no reference to the Babylonian, the Assyrian, or even the 
Sj'rian invasions, indicates that he wrote before these occurred or 
were apprehended. Xo mention is made of idolatrous practices in 
Judah, but the priests and people are represented as harmoniously 
occupied in the services of the temple, as prescribed in the law. 
These circumstances indicate that Joel ma}^ have lived in the first 
half of the reign of Joash, while he was under the influence of 
Jehoida, the high priest, — previous to the subsequent lapse of the 
king into idolatry. If so, Joel lived earlier than Jonah, or Hosea, 
or Amos, and is the oldest of the prophets whose writings have 
come down to us. 

S. — On what occasion did Joel lift up his voice of warning and 
exhortation ? 

F. — The calamity impending was a terrible famine, occasioned 
by drought and successive swarms of locusts. On this account, 
the prophet calls for fasting, humiliation and prayer. "Let the 



356 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the perch and the 
altar, and let them say, SjDare thy people, O Lord, and give not 
thine heritage to reproach." On the conditions of such fasting, 
penitence and prayer, the prophet encourages the hope of speedy 
deliverance. '' Then will the Lord be jealous for his land, and pity 
his people. The Lord will answer and say unto his people. Behold 
I will send you corn, and wine, and oil, and ye shall be satisfied 
therewith" (Chap. 17-19). Joel promises the people a deliver- 
ance, not only from famine, but from their enemies, more especiall}' 
the Phoenicians, who had been plundering their borders, and selling 
their children into slavery. Yea, more than this, he carries his eye 
forward to gospel times, and promises a glorious outpouring of the 
Spirit, wdiich began to be fulfilled on the day of Pentecost (Acts ii. 
16). His promises reach even to the glories of the latter da3's. 
'• Judah shall dwell forever^iind Jerusalem from generation to gen- 
(>ration ; for the Lord dwelleth in Zion " (Chap. iii. 20). 

aS'. — How will you describe the style of Joel ? 

F. — In respect to this, he stands pre-eminent among the Hebrew 
prophets. He not onlv possesses a singular degree of puritv, but 
is distinguished by smoothness and fluency, and the finish and 
fullness which he. gives to Ids sentences. He has no abrupt transi- 
tion like Hosea, but is everywhere lucid and connected. What- 
ever of obscurity attaches to Joel is attributable to the subjects of 
which he treats, and not to the language Avliich he employs. In 
studying these prophets, we see tiiat their inspiration is quite 
consistent with great differences in point of style. 

AMOS. 

aS'. — You will next tell us of the prophet Amos. 

F. — He was originally a shepherd of Tekoa, a small town in 
Judea, about twelve miles south-east from Jerusalem. The sur- 
rounding country is hard and gravelly, not fit for tillage, but suita- 
ble for the pasturage of sheep and goats. Here Amos spent the 
first half of his life, in an honorable calling, but probably in hum- 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 357 

ble circumstances. He tells us that he " was not a prophet, nor 
a prophet's son," which means that he had no connection with 
the schools of the prophets. Though a native of Judea, he was 
called to Bethel, the seat of one of Jeroboam's calves, to publish 
his message to the ten tribes. This gave occasion to Amaziah, one 
of the idolatrous priests of Bethel, to say to him: ''O thou seer, 
go, flee away into the land of Judah, and there eat bread, and 
prophesy there. But prophesy not again any more at Bethel ; for 
it is the king's chapel, and the king's court " (Chap. vii. 12, 13). 

S. — At what time did Amos prophesy, and who were his cotem- 
poraries ? 

F. — He is said to have prophesied " in the days of Uzziah king 
of Judah, and of Jeroboam son of Joash, king of Israel, two years 
before the earthquake." This earthquake is undoubtedly the 
one spoken of in Zech. xiv. 5, "in the days of Uzziah king of 
Judah." Hence, Amos must have been cotemporary with Hosea, 
though a little earlier ; and we know that he was later than Joel, 
because he quotes from him.* 

S. — In what condition was the kingdom of Israel at this time ? 
^ F. — It was a time of great prosperity in Israel. Under Jero- 
boam II., the kingdom was at the zenith of its power. Still, it was 
a time of great corruption and wickedness, which no one perceived 
or lamented, but all flourished together in fancied security. It 
was under these circumstances that the shepherd of Tekoa was 
sent to Israel with a message of warning, and a solemn call to 
repentance and reformation. 

>S'. — What is the particular plan and method of this book ? 

F. — The book may be divided into three parts. First ; sen- 
tences are pronounced upon the surrounding nations, — Syria, the 
Philistines, the Phoenicians, the Edomites, the Moabites, the Jews, 
and, lastl}^ upon the kingdom of Israel. These occup}^ the first 
and second chapters. Secondly ; there are special discourses 
against Israel, — messages of warning, reproof, and lamentation, 

♦Compare Joel iii. 16, with Amos i. 2. 



358 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

accompanied witli repeated calls to repentance (Chaps, iii. to vi). 
The third section of Amos, the three last chapters, contain his 
visions and revelations, partly consolatory, and partly of a threat- 
ening character, closing with assurances of the final restoration of 
Israel, and of great prosperity in the latter days. 

S, — How does the style of Amos compare with that of the other 
prophets ? 

F. — It is less flowing and perfect than that of Joel, and less sen- 
tentious and abrupt than that of Hosea. It is the style of an 
earnest, self-educated man, — perspicuous and strong, his images 
mostly original, and taken from those objects with which he was- 
familiar in early life. In some few instances, the style is prosaic, 
but in general poetical. Near the close of the book, his appeals 
become so pungent and incisive, as to excite the wrath of the high 
j)riest of Bethel, and he -complains of him to the king ; and this 
brings down a terrible denunciation upon the head of the idolatrous 
high priest. " Thy wife shall be a harlot in the city, and thy sons 
and daughters shall fall by the sword, and thy land shall be divided 
by a line, and thou shalt die in a polluted land, and Israel shall 
surely go into captivity" (Chap. vii. 17). 

The prophecies of Amos and Hosea, so near the close of the 
Israelitish monarchy, are a good illustration of the language of God 
to his unfaithful people by one of these prophets. " How shall I 
give thee up, Ephraim ! How shall I deliver thee, Israel ! My heart 
is turned within me, and my repentings are kindled together." 
Before giving up his people and his land to desolation, he must send 
them prophet after prophet, he must oft repeat his warnings and his 
urgent calls to repentance ; audit is not until all appropriate means 
have been employed in vain, and his patience is exhausted, that the 
haughty Assyrian is sent to destroy their cities, and carry them all 
away. 



CONVERSATION XLVII. 

PROPHETS IN THE TIME OF THE KINGS.— Isaiah.— The most illiastrious of the 
propliets. — Supposed to be. of royal descent. — Traditional account of his death. — SaAvn 
asunder with a wooden saw. — His alleged crime. — The course of the sun stopped. — Evi- 
dences from other nations. — His eloquence. — Frequent allusions to the coming of Christ. 

ISAIAH. 

FatJier. — Our present subject is the prophet Isaiah, — by common 
consent, the most illustrious of the Hebrew prophets. 

Son. — So I have regarded him, and am anxious to hear all that 
you may say in regard to him. 

F. — Of the prophet personally, and of the time in which he lived, 
little is known except what he has told us. He was the son of 
Amoz — not Amos the prophet, but another of the same name, — and 
is thought by some to be of royal extraction. He resided at Jerusa- 
lem, and discharged the prophetic office under the kings Uzziah, 
Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. He was cotemporary, therefore, with 
Hosea and Amos, though in another field. He survived Hezekiah, 
and lived some years, — we know not how long, — under the reign of 
nis cruel and wicked son, Manasseh. The current tradition among 
the Jews is, that he Avas slain by Manasseh, being sawn asunder 
with a wooden saw. And this agrees Avith the inhuman character 
of Manasseh as given in the Scriptures ; for it is said that " he shed 
innocent blood very much, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end 
to the other" (2 Kings xxi. 16). In the Epistle to the Hebrews, 
it is said that some of the ancient worthies " were sawn asunder," 
referring, probably, to the Jewish tradition that Isaiah came to his 
end in this way. 

S. — What was the crime alleged against Isaiah, for which he was 
put to death ? 

F. — The principal charge, as stated in the Talmud, was, that 
Isaiah pretended that he had seen God. " I saw the Lord sitting 
upon a throne, high and lifted up " (Is. vi. 1) ; whereas Moses had 



360 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

said, " No man shall see God and live " (Ex. xxxiii. 20). This, how- 
ever, was a mere pretense. The real offense of Isaiah undoubtedly 
was, that he was an unyielding opposer of the existing idolatries. 

S. — How old must Isaiah have been at the time of his death ? 

F. — This cannot be ascertained with certainty. He is said by 
the early Christians to have lived one hundred and twenty years. 
He sustained the prophetical office almost a hundred years. He 
had a wife and two sons wdiose hard names are given in Chap- 
ters vii. 3, and viii. 3. 

S. — Did Isaiah commence his prophecy before the death of 
Uzziah ? 

F. — He did ; for it is said expressly (Is. vi. 1), that he had his 
glorious vision of heaven "in the year that Uzziah died." The five 
previous chapters wxre probably written before Uzziah's death. 

S. — Did Isaiah utter an}^ predictions during the reign of Jotham ? 

F. — We have no positive evidence that he did. But in the time 
of Ahaz, we have an important prediction of the Messiah, under the 
name of Immanuel. (Chap. vii. 14.) We have another prediction 
of the Messiah in Chap. ix. 6. " Unto us a chikl is born, unto us a 
son is given ; and the government shall be upon his shoulder ; and 
his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, 
the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace." But most of the 
early prophecies of Isaiah were given during the reign of Hezeldah. 
From the tenth chapter onward, he denounces the judgments of 
God upon the surrounding nations, — upon Assyria, upon Babjdon, 
upon Moab, upon Damascus, upon Egypt, upon Tyre, and upon the 
kingdom of Israel ; for this kingdom was not destroyed until the 
sixth year of Hezeldah. Mingled with these denunciations are 
many precious promises for the people of God, and pleasant pros- 
pects are set before them, especially under the reign of the coming 
Messiah. Chapters eleven and twelve are wholly Messianic, setting 
forth the peace and glory of Zion in the latter days. 

S. — Is the kingdom of Judah overlooked in this dispensation of 
judgments ? 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 361 

F. — It is not. In chapter twenty-ninth, approacliing judgments 
are denounced upon Judah ; and ere long Sennacherib makes his 
appearance. " In the fourteenth year of the reign of Hezekiah, 
Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fenced cities 
of Judah, and took them " (Chap, xxxvi.) ; and he sent Rabsheka 
to menace Jerusalem, and to insult the king. In answer to the 
prayer of Isaiah, the invader draws off his forces for the time ; but 
he soon returns, and repeats his blasphemies and his threats. And 
now it was that Isaiah was sent to the king with a message of assur- 
ance and comfort. '' The king of Assyria shall not come into this 
city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shields, nor 
cast a bank against it. By the way that he came, by the same shall 
he return, and shall not come into this city, saith the Lord. For I 
will defend this city to save it, for my own sake, and for my servant 
David's sake. Then the angel of the Lord went forth, and smote 
in the camp of the Assyrians 185,000 men" (Chap, xxxvii. 33-36). 

S. — What important events followed his deliverance? 

F. — Sennacherib departed in disgrace to his own land, where he 
was slain by two of his sons. Hezekiah was visited with sore sick- 
ness, but in answer to prayer, recovered, and fifteen years were 
added to his life. At his request, and in token of his deliverance, 
the sun not only stayed in its course, but went fifteen degrees back- 
ward, on the dial of Ahaz. 

S. — Is this account credible ? Is it possible ? Have we any hint 
of its occurrence, from any other source ? 

F. — I suppose the event both possible and credible. The God 
who made this world and moves it could easily revert its rotatory 
motion ; or he could cause, for the time, an unusual refraction of 
the rays of light ; either of which would have given to the sun the 
appearance of moving back. And that the strange occurrence was 
observed in other countries, we have this evidence, that messengers 
were almost immediately sent from Babylon to Hezekiah, to con- 
gratulate him on his recovery, and to "inquire respecting the 
wonder that was done in the land " (2 Chron. xxxii. 31). 



362 convi:rsatioxs on the bible. 

S. — How did Hezekiah receive these messengers from Babylon ? 

F. — With great kindness ; but he too ostentatiously showed 
them all his treasures. For this, he was reproved by Isaiah, and 
was told that the day was approaching, when all these treasures 
should be carried to Babylon. 

aS*. — Did Isaiah often appear at court after this ? 

F. — Probably not. We hear of no further intercourse between 
him and the king. He seems to have gone into retirement — per- 
haps into one of the schools of the prophets. But the Spirit of 
God went with him, and some of his most glorious jDredictions 
were uttered during this period. The fall of Babylon is foretold, 
going into minute particulars. The captivity of the Jews in Baby- 
lon is also predicted, and their restoration by Cyrus, — calling 
Cyrus by name one hundred and fifty years before he was born. 
We have here, too, some of the most signal promises of the Mes- 
siah, particularly that in Chap, liii., relating to his vicarious suffer- 
ings and death. In the last chapters of the book, Isaiah has 
recorded some of the most glorious visions as to the future growth 
and prosperity of Zion, — stretching onwards to millennial times, 
and the end of the world. " Arise, shine ; for thy light has come, 
and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. Thy sun shall no 
more go down, neither shall thy moon withdraw itself; for the 
Lord shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning 
shall be ended" (Chap. Ix. 1, 20). With visions and utterances 
such as these, did the holy prop>het comfort himself, and comfort 
his brethren, amid the trials and distresses of Manasseh's bloody 
reign, till he himself fell a victim to the persecutor's rage, and 
was torn asunder by the wooden saw. 

S. — Have not these last comforting chapters of Isaiah been 
regarded by some interpreters as spurious, or been ascribed to 
some later prophet ? 

F. — They have, almost in our own times, by some of the cold 
critics of German3^ Volume after volume has been written, trying 
to make a distinction between the real Isaiah and the pseudo 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 363 

Isaiah. But all this is sheer nonsense, and is so regarded now 
bj the best critics in Germany. There has never been but one 
Isaiah, and his prophecy is obviously one book^ bearing everywhere 
the impress of the same great heart and hand. No other prophet 
ever assayed to imitate him, or wished to deprive him of any part 
of his glory. 

aS'. — What have you to say of his style and manner of writing? 

F. — It is throughout perspicuous, elevated, and pure. Some 
parts of the book have never been excelled in point of eloquence. 
Take, for example, the description, in the fourteenth chapter, of 
the descent of the lost king of Babylon into hell. " Hell, from 
beneath, is moved for thee, to meet thee at thy coming. It stirreth 
up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth. All 
they shall speak, and say unto thee, Art thou also become weak 
as we? Art tliou become like unto us? Thy pomp is brought 
down to the grave, and the noise of thy viols. The worm is 
spread under thee, and the worms cover thee. They that see thee 
shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying. Is this 
the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms, 
that made the world as a wilderness, and opened not the house of 
his prisoners? But thou art cast out of thy grave, as an abomina- 
ble branch, and as a carcass trodden under foot." Take, as another 
example, the message of the Lord to Sennacherib, recorded in 
chapter thirty-seventh : " The virgin, the daughter of Zion, hath 
despised thee, and laughed thee to scorn ; the daughter of Jerusa- 
lem hat'h shaken her head at thee. Whom hast thou reproached 
and blasphemed ; and against whom hast thou exalted thy voice, 
and lifted up thine eyes on high? Even against the Holy One 
of Israel. But I know thine abode, thv going out and thy coniiiig 
in, and thy rage against me. I will put my hook in thy nose, and 
thy bridle in my lips, and I will turn thee back in the way by 
which thou camest." We may safely challenge all the poets and 
orators of ancient and modern times, to produce passages equal to 
these in point of sublimitv, directness, eloquence and force. 

23 



364 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 



S. — Why is Isaiah so commonly called the evangelical prophet ? 

F. — Because, in his predictions, he so frequently refers to the 
coming Savior, to his sufferings and death, and to the way of sal- 
vation through him. Because he so beautifully describes the 
increased light, and privileges, and blessings of gospel times. Be- 
cause, too, he is so frequently quoted and referred to in the New 
Testament. For all these reasons, as well as for others that might 
be adduced, he is well entitled to the appellation so frequently 
accorded to him, The Evangelical Prophet, 



CONVERSATION XLYIIL 

PROPHETS IN THE TIME OF THE KINGS.— Micah.—Cotemporary with Isaiah. 
— Also predicts the coming of Christ — Nalium — Little known of liim. — His style 
more impassioned than the rest. — Prophesies the destruction of Nineveh. — Puius of 
Nineveh lately explored. — Confirmatory to Bible history. 

MICAH. 

SoTi. — It seems from the first verse of Micah, that he prophesied 
in the clays of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. Of 
course, he was cotemporary with Isaiah. 

Father. — Yes, he prophesied at the same time, and at or near the 
same place, i. e. Jerusalem. He is called the Morashthite, from the 
town of Moresheth-gath, lying west of Jerusalem, not far from the 
country of the Philistines. We know also at what time Micah proph- 
esied from a passage in Jeremiah xxvi. 18, which says : " Micah the 
Morashthite prophesied, in the days of Hezekiah, king of Judah, 
saying, " Zion shall be ploughed like a field, and Jerusalem shall be- 
come heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of the 
forest." The severe rebukes of idolatry which we find in the first 
chapters of Micah indicate that they must have been written in the 
time of Ahaz, or at least in the first years of the reign of Hezekiah. 
We know they were written before the destruction of Samaria and 
the carrying away of the ten tribes, because that event is distinctly 
foretold. *' I will make Samaria as a heap of the field ; I will pour 
down the stones thereof into the valley ; I will discover the founda- 
tions thereof" (Chap. i. 6). Samaria was destroyed in the sixth 
year of the reign of Hezekiah. There is another fact which indi- 
cates that Micah closed his message sooner than Isaiah. We find 
no distinct mention of the Assyrian invasion, which could hardly 
have been omitted, had it occurred during his prophecy. 

S. — Is there any obvious division in the prophecy of Micah ? 

F. — There is. The three first chapters contain his stern reproofs 
of the wickedness of both Israel and Judah, and his loud and 
earnest calls for a reformation. In the next two chapters^ the 



3G6 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

prophet comforts the true Israel of God ; predicts clearly the com- 
ing of the Messiah ; and sets forth the future prosperity and glory 
of Zion. Some of his language on this subject is the same as 
that of Isaiah ; but which of the t^yo copied from the other, I 
pretend not to say«* The two last chapters of Micah are of a more 
general and didactic character. 

S. — How does the style of Micah compare with that of Isaiah ? 

F. — To say that it is equal to that of the great evangelical 
prophet would, perhaps, be too high praise ; and yet it falls but 
little short of it. The style of Micah is concise, perspicuous, ener- 
getic, and in some passages vehement and eloquent. In adminis- 
tering both rebukes and promises, Micah evinces great tenderness 
of spirit, showing that his heart was deeply affected. His descrip- 
tion of the character of God in the three closing verses of the 
book are very fine. " Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth 
iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his 
heritage ? He retaineth not his anger forever, because he delight- 
eth in mercy. He will turn again ; he will have compassion upon 
us ; he will subdue our iniquities ; he will cast all our transgres- 
sions into the depth of the sea. Thou wilt perform thy truth to 
Jacob, and thy mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto 
our fathers from the days of old." 

NAHUM. 

aS'. — Of Nahum personally, I suppose little is known. 

F. — Very little indeed. He is called the Elkoshite, probably, 
from a villao-e in Galilee, called Elkesi. From his familiar refer- 
ences to Lebanon, Carmel, and Bashan, it is presumed that he lived 
in Palestine, and that here his message was delivered. 

S. — The subject of the prophecy is the overthrow of Nineveh : 
Can you tell us where it was delivered ? 

F, — Probably, in the latter part of the reign of Hezekiah, which 
would make him cotemporary with Isaiah, and perhaps with Micah. 



*Compare Micah i. 4, with Is. ii. 2-4. 



COXVERSATIONS OX THE BIBLE. 367 

It was certainly delivered after the fail of Samaria, and the exile of 
the ten tribes (see Chap. ii. 2) ; also subsequent to the boastful 
but disastrous invasion of Judea by Sennacherib (Chap. i. 11-13). 
Tlie destruction predicted by Nahum is that which was inflicted 
upon Nineveh by the Babylonians, a hundred years, or more, after 
the j^rophecy was uttered. 

S. — Are there any obvious divisions in this prophecy ? 

F. — There are not. It is a single poem, and closely connected 
througliout. 

jS. — And how -does the style compare with that of Isaiah and 
Micah ? 

F. — Very favorably. It is more impassioned, as it seems to me, 
than that of any of the prophets. His description of Jehovah 
(Chap. i. 2-9), is majestic and sublime. His description of the 
invading army, Avhich is to destroy Nineveh, is graphic and awful. 
" Woe to the bloody city ! It is all full of lies and robbery. The 
prey departeth not, — the noise of the whip, and the noise of the rat- 
tling wheels, and of the prancing horses, and the jumping chariots. 
The horseman lifteth up the bright sword, and the glittering spear, 
and there is a multitude of slain. There is no end of the corpses ; 
they stumble upon their corpses " (Chap. iii. 1-3). The final ruin 
of Nineveh, as depicted in the last two verses, is mournful and 
impressive. " Thy shepherds slumber ; thy nobles dwell in the 
dust ; thy people is scattered upon the mountains, and no man gath- 
ereth them. There is no healing of thy bruise; th}^ wound is griev- 
ous ; all that hear the bruit of thee shall clap their hands over thee ; 
for upon whom hath not thy wickedness passed continual!}^ ? " 

S. — What was the state of Nineveh, when this prophecy was 
uttered ? 

F. — It was in the height of its glory. It was never more prosper- 
ous than in the long reign of Esarhaddon, who came to the throne 
in the twenty-second year of the reign of Hezekiah king of Judah. 
But its doom was pronounced, as we have seen, by the God of 
nations, and in the appointed time it was terribly executed. There 



368 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

was no recovery promised, as in the case of Jerusalem, when its 
ruin is denounced ; and no recovery has ever reached it. So entire 
was its destruction that, for long ages, its site was unknown. Its 
ruins have recently been discovered and opened for the verification 
01 ancient prophecy, and for the benefit of the world. 



I 



CONVERSATION XLIX. 

PROPHETS IN THE TIME OF THE KINGS.— Jeremiah and Lamentations.— Who 
he was. — Cotemporary with Daniel and Ezekiel — Threatened with death. — Preserva- 
tion of the prophecies. — Destruction of the book by order of the king. — A new one 
made. — Persecution of Jeremiali — Fall of Jerusalem. — Death of Egypt. — Book of 
Lamentations. — Their peculiarity. 

Son. — Who was Jeremiah? 

Father. — He was '' the son of Hilkiah, of the priests that were in 
Anathoth, in the land of Benjamin." Anathoth was a citj belong- 
ing to the priests, about three miles north-east from Jerusalem. 
Some have thought Jeremiah's father was the same as Hilkiah the 
high priest in the time of Josiah — the same that found the lost book 
of the law ; but this is not probable. Had this been the case, the 
fact would undoubtedly have been mentioned. 

S. — Under wdiat kings did Jeremiah prophesy ? 

F. — Under Josiah, and his four descendants — the last kings of 
Judah. He was cotemporary with Daniel and Ezekiel, who were 
prophesying in Babylon, while Jeremiah was delivering his messages 
in Jerusalem ; also with Habakkuk, Zephaniah, and Obadiah. 

S. — When did Jeremiah commence his prophecy ? 

F. — In the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah. He was but a 
youth at this time ; and when called to the prophetical work, 
excused himself by saying : " Ah Lord God ! behold I cannot speak, 
for I am a child." But instead of excusing him, the Lord gave him 
a formal and solemn commission ; and he continued in the propheti- 
cal office for more than forty years. 

S. — Do we hear much of him during the reign of Josiah ? 

F. — We do not. He was young, and not inclined to put him- 
self forward. Huldah was the prophetess to whom the good king 
applied, whenever he had occasion to inquire of the Lord. It can- 
not be doubted, however, that, in the great reformation which fol- 
lowed the finding of the book of the law, Jeremiah would help it 
forward by every method in his power. It is certain that he deliv- 



370 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

ered some of his most pungent reproofs and exhortations at this 
time. These are contained, it is supposed, in the first twelve chap- 
ters of his prophecy. 

S. — Is it not strange that he should utter such reproofs, while 
the reformation under Josiah w^as in progress ? 

F. — Jeremiah saw, — or if he did not, God did, — that the reforma- 
tion was rather external than spiritual, — a reformation springing 
more from kingly authority, than from the heart. Accordingly^ as 
soon as Josiah was dead, and a counter influence proceeded from 
the throne, the nation fell back at once into its old idolatries. 

S. — Do we hear much of Jeremiah under the reign of Jehoahaz, 
otherwise called Shallum? 

F. — We do not ; he reigned only three months. But when he 
was deposed by Pharaoh Xecho, and carried into Egypt, Jeremiah 
speaks kindly of him, and calls upon the people to bemoan his 
captivity (Chap. xxii. 10-13). 

S. — What were some of the leading events of Jehoiakim's reign, 
and how was Jeremiah affected by. them? 

F. — In the weakness and disorder which characterized this reigfn, 
the work of Jeremiah became more prominent and difficult. The 
people were divided in their 23references, some for the king of 
Egypt, and some for the king of Babylon. Jehoiakim had come to 
the throne as the vassal of Egypt; and for a time, the Egj^ptian 
party prevailed. Others held that their only safety consisted in 
accepting the supremacy of the Chaldeans. Jeremiah was of this 
party. Guided by inspiration, he could discern the signs of the 
times. He regarded the king of Babylon as God's instrument, Avho 
was doing his work, and who was destined, for a time, to prevail 
over all resistance (Chap, xxvii. 6, 7). Hard was it for one who 
sympathized so deeply in all the sufferings of his country, to bring 
himself to this conviction; and in declaring it, he exposed himself 
to the imputation of treachery. False prophets, too, had their word 
of the Lord, to set against his, and all he could do Avas to commit 
his cause to God, and wait the result. Jeremiah was, at this time, 



CONVERSATIOXS ON THE BIBLE. 371 



threatened with death, and might have been put to death, had not 
his friend Ahikam, the son of Shaphan interposed for his rescue 
(Chap. xxTi. 2). 

In the fourth year of Jehoiakim, the battle of Carchemish j)ut an 
end to the hopes of the Egyptian party, and the armies of Neb- 
uchadnezzar droye those of the Jews who had no defensed cities, to 
take refuge in Jerusalem (Chap. xxxy. 2). 

S. — What did Jeremiah do, at this time, for the preservation of 
his prophecies ? 

F. — He was directed by God to write them in a book ; and Baruch, 
his scribe, was sent to read them to the people ; but the king gave 
vent to his impotent rage by cutting the book in pieces, and burning 
it in the fire. Howbeit, the book was re-Avritten, and severe denun- 
ciations were added respecting the impious king (see Chap, xxxvi). 

As the danger from the Chaldeans became more threatening, 
the persecution of Jeremiah became more severe. The people 
cursed him, and sought his life. Still, he went on with his work, 
reproving king, and princes, and people, and warning all of the 
approaching destruction. 

aS'. — What became of Jehoiakim, the king? 

F. — He was slain by the Chaldeans, and his body was left, for a 
time, without burial, as Jeremiah had predicted (Chap, xxxvi. 30). 
Jehoiachin, his son, was placed upon the throne ; but he was soon 
taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar, and was sent to Babjdon, in 
fulfillment of another of Jeremiah's predictions (Chap. xxii. 24- 
27). He was succeeded by Zedekiah, a son of Josiah, and the 
last that sat upon the throne of Judah. As he was appointed by 
Nebuchadnezzar, and reigned under him, we do not find the same 
obstinate resistance to Jeremiah's counsels as in the case of Jehoi- 
akim. He respected the prophet, feared him, and sought his 
advice ; but he was the mere shadow of a king, powerless against 
his own counselors, and in his reign the sufferings of Jeremiah 
were greater than ever before. He at one time sought to escape 
from Jerusalem, where he could no longer do any good, and take 



372 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

refuge in his own town of Anathoth. Upon the discovery of Lis 
plan, his enemies charged him with an intended desertion to the 
Chaldeans ; and in spite of his denial, he was thrown into prison. 
The king would gladlj have released him, but the princes conspired 
agahist him, and he w^as plunged into a horrible dungeon, where 
he must soon have died (Chap, xxxviii. 6). From this he Avas 
delivered by Ebed-Melek, an Ethiopian eunuch, and restored to his 
former place in the prison, where he had the company of Baruch, 
his scribe, and where he remained until the city was taken (Chap, 
xxxviii. 28). 

At last, the fatal hour came; the city was captured; the temple 
was burned; the king and his princes went into captivity; and 
the prophet gave utterance to his sorrow in the book of Lajnienta- 

TIONS. 

>S'. — What became of Jeremiah, after the capture of Jerusalem? 

F. — He was taken from prison, and permitted to have his choice, 
either to go to Babylon, where he would have been held in high 
honor in the king's court, or to remain with his own people. He 
chose the latter ; and Gedeliah, the son of his old friend Ahikam, 
was made governor over them. There was now a short interval 
of peace ; but this was soon broken by the murder of Gedeliah by 
Ishmael, who was of the seed royal, and one of the former priiices 
of Judah. Failing to establish his authority over the remnant of 
the Jews, he escaped, and fled to the Ammonites. Johanan, the 
son of Karea, now took charge of the people. Jeremiah counseled 
them to remain in the land, and be subject to the king of Babylon ; 
but they rejected his counsel, and went into Egypt, taking the 
prophet with them. And here his words were sharper and stronger 
than ever before. He predicts the speedy conquest of Egypt by 
Nebuchadnezzar ; utters a solemn protest against the continued 
idolatry of the Jews ; and this is the last that we hear of him 
(Chap, xliii. 8-13). He probably died in Egypt. 

S. — Are the predictions of Jeremiah properly arranged in the 
book before us ? 



CONVJSBSATIOXS ON THE BIBLE. 373 

F. — They are not. They follow each other without much order 
or method, to be selected and arranged by the interpreter. Who 
occasioned this disorder, we do not know. It may have been done 
by accident, or through the ignorance or carelessness of some 
ancient compiler. It is a serious interruption to the study of the 
book. 

aS'. — What are some of the more remarkable predictions of Jere- 
miah ? 

F. — He predicted the fate of Jehoiakim, and of Zedekiah (Chap. 
xxxvi. 30, xxxix. 3). He predicted the captivity of the Jews, 
the precise time of its continuance, and their return to their own 
land (Chap. xxii. 8-12). He predicted the destruction of Baby- 
lon, and the downfall of many other nations (xxv. 15-33). He 
foretold the coming of Christ, his miraculous conception, the virtue 
of his atonement, the spiritual character of his religion, and the 
inward efficacy of his laws (Chap. xxxi. 31-34). The reputation 
of Jeremiah, as a prophet of God, went abroad to other nations, 
and many writers among the heathen have borne testimony to the 
truth and accuracy of his predictions. 

S. — What is said as to the style of Jeremiah ? 

F, — He is proverbially styled ''the weeping prophet." The 
painful messages which he was called upon to deliver, and the 
many trying scenes through which he passed, made him so. He 
was perpetually conversant with objects of suffering, of grief, of 
pity. This characteristic of his writings appears frequently in 
the book we have examined, but more especially in the Lamenta- 
tions. 

aS'. — When was the book of Lamentations written ? 

F. — ^Yery soon after the destruction of Jerusalem and the tem- 
ple, but whether before or after Jeremiah went into Egypt, we 
cannot tell. 

S. — Is there anything peculiar in the structure of the Lamenta- 
tions ? 

F. — It is not so properly one poem, as five, each chapter consti- 



374 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

tuting a song by itself. The first four chapters are written in the 
acrostic form, every couplet or verse beginning with a letter in the 
Hebrew alphabet, in regular order. The first, second, and fourth 
chapters contain each of them, twenty-two verses, according to 
the number of the Hebrew letters. The third chapter has triplets, 
each beginning with a Hebrew letter, and the number of verses is 
sixty-six. The fifth and last chapter is not an acrostic. The first 
two chapters describe the distresses and calamities of the siege of 
Jerusalem. The third is more personal, setting forth the sufferings 
of the writer. The fourth refers to the ruin and desolation of the 
city and temple. The fifth is a form of prayer for the Jews in 
their captivity. The whole is written with the utmost tenderness. 
"Never,*' says Lowtli, " was there a more rich and elegant variety 
of beautiful images and adjuncts, arranged together in so small a 
compass. Every letter was inscribed with a tear ; every word is 
the echo of a broken heart. During the exile in Babylon, the 
Lamentations of Jeremiah were read, it is said, year by year, on 
the ninth day of the month Abib (July), with fasting and weep- 
ing, to commemorate the miseries out of wliich the nation had been 
delivered." 



CONVERSATION L. 

PROPHETS IN THE TIME OF THE KIXGS.— Zeplianiah.— Time of his prophecy. 
— Character of his predictions. — Habakkuk. — The general descriptiou of this book. — 
Obadiah. — The shortest book iu the Old Testament. — Subject of this prophecj. 

ZEPHAXIAH. 

Soi-i. — From tlie inscription to this book, we know who were the 
progenitors of Zephaniah, and that he prophesied in the days of 
Josiaii, king of Judah. At what time in the reign of Josiah did 
he deliver his prophecy ? 

Father. — I think in the first half of his reign. He certainly 
^)rophesied before the fall of Nineveh ; and Nineveh was destroyed 
in the sixteenth jeetv of Josiah (Chap. ii. 13). He prophesied, too, 
before the land was cleared from idolatry, as it was in the latter 
part of Josiah's reign. The facts here referred to indicate pretty 
plainly the date of this prophecy — the first half of Josiah's reign — 
perhaps the tenth or twelfth year. This would make Zephaniah 
cotemporary with Jeremiah, though, perhaps, a little earlier. 

aS'. — What is the purport of this short prophecy ? 

F — The first chapter is occupied in denouncing terrible judg- 
ments upon the people of the land for their idolatry, pride, and 
wickedness. " The great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and 
hasteth greatly. That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and 
distress, a day of the trumpet and of alarm against the fenced 
cities " (Chap. i. 14). In the second chapter, judgment is de- 
nounced upon the surrounding nations — the Philistines, the Moab- 
ites, the Cushites, and the Assyrians — all which Avere speedily 
executed. The third chapter closes with an earnest call to the 
Jews to repentance and reformation, and promises of future restor- 
ation and peace. 

S. — How dbes Zephaniah compare with the other prophets in 
point of style ? 



376 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE 

F. — His style is not so elevated and eloquent as that of some of 
the prophets, but is well adapted to his subject. It compares favor- 
ably with that of Micah and Jeremiah. It was a loud call to the 
degenerate Jews in the closing period of their monarchy, — one to 
which they should have listened, — to which, we think, Josiali did 
listen, and by which he was strengthened and encouraged in his 
efforts for a reformation. 

HABAKKUK. 

aS'. — Have we any means of knowing who Habakkuk was ? 

F. — We have not. The Jews have their traditions about him, 
but these are of no account. 

S. — At what time did he live and utter his predictions ? 

F. — I cannot doubt that he was cotemporary with Jeremiah ; that 
he Lived and prophesied just previous to the destruction of Jerusa- 
lem by the Chaldeans. In Chap. i. 6, God says : " Behold I raise up 
the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, which shall march 
through the breadth of the land, to possess the dwelling places 
which are not theirs. They are terrible and dreadful ; their horses 
are swifter than the leopards, and more fierce than the evening 
wolves." This is enough to show the occasion of the prophecy, 
and the time when it was uttered. 

S. — What will you say to the form and style of the book? 

F. — The book is highly poetical — a poem throughout. The first 
two chapters are in the form of a dialogue between the distressed 
prophet, and the Sovereign Chastiser and Avenger of his people 
IsraeL The prophet begins : '' O Lord, how long shall I cry, and 
thou wilt not hear! Even cry out unto thee of violence, and thou 
wilt not save (Chap. i. 2) I " In the fifth verse, and onward, God 
speaks : " Behold ye among the heathen, and wonder marvel- 
ously; for I will work a work in your days which ye will not 
believe, though it be told you." In the twelfth verse and onward, 
the prophet continues his prayer. " Art thoQ not from everlasting, 
O Lord my God? We shall not die. Thou hast ordained them 
(the heathen) for judgment; thou hast established them for cor- 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 377 

rection." The Lord commences his reply, by saying : " Write the 
vision and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth 
it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time ; but at the end it 
will speak and not lie. Though it tarry, wait for it ; for it will 
surely come, it will not tarry " (Chap. ii. 2). From this point, God 
goes on to denounce approaching judgments upon the Chaldeans, 
for their pride, their manifold oppressions, and for all their cruelty. 
Tlie whole concludes with a magnificent psalm or prayer, in 
the third chapter, which, for boldness of conception, sublimity 
of thought, and majesty of expression, is not exceeded in the litera- 
ture of the world. The book ends with an intense expression of 
confidence in God, amidst all the coming desolations. " Although 
the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vine ; 
the labor of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat ; 
the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd 
in the stalls ; yet will I rejoice in the Lord ; I will joy in the God 
of my salvation." 

OBADIAH. 

S. — This is the shortest book in the Old Testament, containing only 
twenty-one verses. Do we know anything of the author personally ? 

F. — We do not. There are traditions and conjectures, but noth- 
ing on which to rely. 

S. — What is the principal subject of this prophecy? 

F. — It is a reproof of the Edomites, and a severe denunciation 
against them, for their cruelty to the Jews, and their rejoicings over 
them, in the day of their calamity. The cruelty of the Edomites, 
when Jerusalem was destroyed, is spoken of in other Scriptures 
(see Ps. cxxxvii. 7). In the last verses, the prophet speaks encour- 
agingly to his own people, assuring them of a final deliverance and 
triumph over all their enemies. 

S. — Is there any evidence that Obadiah had seen the prophecies 
of Jeremiah? 

F. — There is ; for in some instances he quotes Jeremiah almost 
verbally (compare v. 5 with Jeremiah xlix. 9). 



378 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE, 

S. — When was this prophecy uttered ? 

F. — Shortly after the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babyloni- 
ans. The prophecy of Obadiah, and the Lamentations of Jeremiah, 
may have been delivered at about the same time. 

S. — What is said of the style of this short book ? 

F, — "Its principal characteristics," says Bishop Lowth, "are 
animation, regularity, and perspicuity." 



SECOND BOOK 

FROM THE CAPTIVITY TO THE COxMING OF CHRIST.. 



CONYERSATIOX I. 

THE JEWS UNDER THE BABYLONIANS.— Babylon.— Its location.— When and by 
whom founded. — Nineveh — Division of Assyrian empire. — Invasion and destruction of 
Nineveh. — Daniel in Babylon. — Second transportation of Jews to Babylon. — Desolation 
of the country. — Description of the walls of Babylon and objects of interest. — Cyrus. — 
The capture of Babylon. 

Son. — Where Avas Babylon? When was it founded, and by 
whom ? 

Father. — Babylon was situated on the Euphrates, in north lati- 
tude 32°. It was founded by Nimrod, a grandson of Ham, about 
one hundred and ten years after the deluge. It is supposed to 
have occupied the site of the ancient tower of Babel, from which it 
derived its name. 

S. — Did Babylon subsist all along from the days of Nimrod to 
those of Nebuchadnezzar ? 

F. — It is supposed to have subsisted, though we hear but little of 
it for a long course of years. 

S. — What sister city grew up near it, and at the same time ? 

F. — Nineveh, situated on the Tigris, about four degrees further 
north. This was the capital of the Assyrian empire, perhaps the 
oldest in the world. 

aS'. — Who was the first king of Assyria that invaded Palestine ? 

F. — During the reign of Menahem, king of Israel, Pul, the king 
of Assyria came into the land, and jNIenahem gave him a thousand 
talents of silver. This was a little later than the preaching of 
Jonah at Nineveh. At this time Nineveh was a great city. 

S. — Did the Assyrian empire, at this time, embrace both Babylon 
and Nineveh ? 

F. — It did ; but shortly after, the empire was divided. Arbaces, 



380 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

the governor of Media, and Belesis, governor of Babylon, conspired 
against the king of Assyria, conquered him, and divided his empire 
between them, — the former reigning at Nineveh, and the latter at 
Babylon. Arbaces was the Tiglath-pileser of the Scriptures — the 
same who fought against Pekah, king of Israel, and carried many of 
the Israelites into captivity (2 Kings, xv. 29). Belesis is the same 
as Nabonassar, with whose reign commences the celebrated astro- 
nomical era, called the era of Nabonassar. He is called Baladan in 
the Scriptures (Is. xxxix. 1). 

S. — By whom was Nineveh taken and destroyed? 

F, — By Nabopolassar, the father of Nebuchadnezzar. He seems 
to have reigned conjointly with his father, a few years previous to 
his father's death. It was while his father Avas yet alive, that he 
first invaded Judah, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim, the son of 
Josiah. Jerusalem was conquered at this time, and the first com- 
pany of captives were sent to Babylon, among Avhom were Daniel 
and his three friends. 

S. — At what time did Nebuchadnezzar have his first vision? 

F. — It was in the second year of his reigning alone, after the 
death of his father. He saw in his vision a mighty image, in shape 
like a man, Avhose head was of gold, whose breast and arms were of 
silver, whose belly and thighs were of brass, whose legs were of 
iron, and whose feet and toes were partly of iron, and partly of clay. 
The dream greatly astonished the king, and yet when he awoke, it 
was gone from him ; he could recall nothing of it ; nor could any 
of his wise men assist him at all in the matter. It was the disclos- 
ing of the dream, and the interpretation of it, which first brought 
Daniel into favor with Nebuchadnezzar, and established his reputa- 
tion as the wisest man in the kingdom. Daniel was now a youth, 
not more than twenty -two years of age ; 3^et he received the rich- 
est gifts, and was advanced to the highest honors. '• The king made 
him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the 
governors over the wise men of Babylon." 

S. — At what time did Nebuchadnezzar set up that great image 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 381 



at Babylon — a representation, perhaps, of the one he had seen m 
vision ? 

F. — It was in the eighteenth year of king Nebuchadnezzar, 
after the destruction of Jerusalem, and the return of his army to 
Babylon, that the image was set up, and all the princes, governors, 
officers and people were commanded to fall down and worship it. 
The three friends of Daniel refused to comply, and were cast into 
a burning fiery furnace, from which they were miraculously deliv- 
ered by the power of God. 

aS'. — But where was Daniel on this occasion? Did he worship 
the image, and thus escape persecution? 

F. — No ; Daniel would not save himself from death in this way. 
The probability is that he was not accused. Owing to his high 
position and great influence with the king, the accusers of his three 
friends did not venture to aim their shafts at him. At any rate, 
they thought it safer to dispose of the others first. 

S. — Were any more exiles transported from Jerusalem to Baby- 
lon, after the fall of the city? 

F. — Yes; In the second year after the destruction of Jerusalem, 
Nebuchadnezzar laid siege to Tyre, which occupied him several 
3^ears. While a part of his army lay before Tyre, another part was 
sent into the land of Israel, to glean the straggling Jews who still 
lingered there, and send them to Babylon. This was the last 
transportation of exiles from Judea, and the number carried away 
amounted to no more than seven hundred and forty-five persons. 

aS'. — After the fall of Tyre, where did Nebuchadnezzar next turn 
his arms ? 

F. — As soon as he was released from Tyre, he marched his army 
into Egypt, and overran the whole country from one end to tlie 
other. Having loaded his army Avith the rich spoils of Egypt, and 
made the land his tributary, he returned to Bal)y]on. Daring this 
raid upon Egypt, most of the Jews who had fled there, after the 
destruction of their city, fell into the hands of the king of Baby- 
lon, and were either slain, or carried captives to Babylon. 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 



S. — After his return from Egypt, bow did Nebuchadnezzar 
employ himself? 

F. — He applied himself, at once, to the strengthening and adorn- 
ing of his capital ; and this work he continued, until he made Baby- 
lon one of the wonders of the world. The walls of the city were 
eighty-seven feet thick, three hundred and fifty feet high, and in 
circumference round the city not less than sixty miles. Then there 
were the towers upon the Avails, the hanging gardens, the temples, 
the palaces, the walls and gates on the banks of the river within 
the city, the artificial lake and canals for the draining of the river 
in case of flood. Altogether, there never was such a city before, 
and probably never will be to the end of time. 

aS'. — When did Nebuchadnezzar have his second prophetical 
vision ? 

F. — While engaged in completing his great works at Babylon, 
he saw, in vision, a great tree, which towered to the heavens, and 
whose branches reached to the ends of the earth. He saw it cut 
down by a watcher from heaven, and yet not utterly destroyed. 
He saw it sprout and come up again, after it had for a time lain 
desolate, and been wetted with the dew of heaven. This dream, 
and Daniers interpretation of it, we have recorded in the fourth 
chapter of his prophecy. And in due time, it was all accomplished. 
For as Nebuchadnezzar was walking in his palace, and looking out 
upon the splendors and luxuries of his favorite city, he gave utter- 
ance to the pride of his heart in the following words : " Is not this 
great Babylon which I have built, for the house of the kingdom, 
by the might of my power, and for the honor of my majesty?" 
Whereupon there befell him instantly what Daniel had predicted : 
His reason and his kingdom were both taken away ; he was driven 
from the society of men ; he had his dwelling with the brutes ; he 
did eat grass like an ox ; and his body was wet with the dew of 
heaven, until his hair was grown like eagles' feathers, and his nails 
like birds' claws. But, at the end of seven years, his reason 
returned, and his former kingdom and majesty were restored unto 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 383 

him ; and then it was that he made the following noble and hum- 
ble confession : ''I do bless the most high God, and praise and 
honor him who liveth forever and ever, whose dominion is an ever- 
lasting dominion, and whose kingdom is from generation to 
generation. And all the inhabitants of the earth are as nothing 
before him ; and he doeth according to his will in the armies of 
lieaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth, and none can stay 
his hand, or say unto him. What doest thou ? I do praise and 
extol, and honor the king of heaven, all whose works are truth, 
and his ways are judgment, and those who walk in pride he is able 
to^abase." 

S. — What do you think of this confession, and of him who made it? 

F. — From this period, Nebuchadnezzar became, as I would fondly 
hope, a truly pious man. He died, however, in a little more than a 
year, having reigned, in great prosperity and glory, sole monarch 
of Babjdon, for the long period of forty-three 3^ears. He was an 
instrument in the hand of God of chastising many guilty nations, 
among Avhom were the Jews; and at length, through the influence 
of a distinguished Jew, he was brought to the open acknowledg- 
ment and worship of the only living and true God. 

S. — Who succeeded Nebuchadnezzar on the throne of Babylon ? 

^.^His son, Merodach, or who is called in Scripture, Evil-Mero- 
dach. He was a profligate and vicious ruler ; and yet he bestowed 
one act of kindness upon the Jews. He showed favor to Jehoiachin, 
a former king of Judah, who had now been in confinement ut 
Babylon thirtj'-seven years. As the sacred writer expresses it, 
''the king of Babylon spake kindly to him, and set his throne above 
the thrones of the kings that were with him at Babylon, and 
changed his prison garments, and he did eat continually before him 
all the days of his life " (2 Kings xxv. 28). 

S. — The reign of ]\Ierodach was short. AYho succeeded him ? 

F. — After two short inglorious reigns, he was succeeded by 
Nabonadius, a grandson of Nebuchadnezzar, called in Scripture, 
Belshazzar. 



384 CONVERSATIOyS ON THE BIBLE. 

S. — What great powers were now being raised up for the over- 
throw of Babylon ? 

F. — The Kingdom of the Medes, lying north of Babylon, had 
long been one of great strength. It was now governed by Cyax- 
ares II., called in Scripture, Darius the Mede. Another ancient 
kingdom now coming into notice was the Persian. This lay east 
of Babylon, was founded by Elam, a grandson of Noah, but never 
had distinguished itself among the nations until the times of which 
we speak. Cyrus, who was now on the throne of Persia, was a 
nephew of Darius the Mede. This brought the Medes and Per- 
sians into close alliance, and the principal thing attempted by the 
alliance was the overthrow of Babylon. Cyrus, I hardly need say, 
was the greatest warrior of his age, and almost of any age. He 
led the united forces of Media and Persia, and it was under him 
that Belshazzar, the last monarch of Babylon was conquered and 
the city taken. 

S. — How was Babylon finally taken ? 

F. — By a close siege. This w^as the only way in which it could 
be taken ; and to capture it by siege seemed almost a hopeless task. 
The walls were high and impregnable, and the number of men 
within to defend them was very great. They w^ere furnished with 
provisions for twenty years, in addition to what might be raised in 
the gardens and tillage lands within the city. It is not strange, 
therefore, that the Babylonians, in their towers and on the Avails, 
scoffed at Cyrus, and derided his seemingly vain efforts to molest 
them. 

S. — What expedient was at length hit upon, by which Cyrus got 
possession of the city ? 

F. — As the city was built on both sides of the river, which ran 
under the wall and through the city, Cyrus contrived to draw off 
the waters of the river, and leave a dry channel under the 
wall on both sides. This was done at a concerted signal, on a 
night when it was known that the Bab3donians were to hold a 
great festival, and would spend the whole night in reveling 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 385 

and drunkenness. While the channel of the river was being 
drained, Cyrus posted one part of his army at the place where the 
water ran into the city, and another part at the place where it 
ran out, with orders to enter the city on both sides as soon as they 
should find the channel of the river fordable. Before midnight 
the river was sufficiently drained, and both parties entered through 
the opened channel into the city. But here they must have en- 
countered an insuperable obstacle, had it not been for the drunk- 
enness, and consequent carelessness of those within the Avails. 
The brazen gates which opened down to the river from every street, 
and which were always shut by night, happened now to be left 
open ; and through them, both parties of the invaders ascended 
directly from the channel of the river into the city. Thus remark- 
ably was a prophecy of Isaiah, addressed to Cyrus by name, and 
uttered more than a hundred years before he was born, fulfilled 
at this time : " I will go before thee, and make the crooked places 
straight; I will opzn ihz two-leaved gates^ and the gates shall not he 
shut'' (Is. xlv. 1, 2). 

S. — What took place after the soldiers had entered the city ? 

F. — They proceeded directly to the palace, where Belshazzar 
and his lords were drinking wine out of the golden and silver 
vessels which had been plundered from the temple at Jerusalem, 
and where the mysterious hand- writing on the wall had just been 
interpreted by Daniel. Here they surprised and slew the guards ; 
and when the palace gates were opened, they rushed forward and 
planted themselves within. The king and his nobles encountered 
them, sword in hand, but they, and all who resisted, were imme- 
diately slain. After this, a proclamation was issued, promising life 
and protection to such as would lay down their arms, and threat- 
ening destruction to all who refused. Whereupon, all quietly sub- 
mitted to the conqueror, and Cyrus became master of the city. 

S. — What can be said of Daniel at this time and during the 
period since Nebuchadnezzar's death ? 

F. — Daniel was now an old man ; he cannot have been less than 



386 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 



eighty years of age. We hear little of him after Nebuchadnezzar's 
death, until he was called to interpret the hand-writing upon the 
wall. In the first year of Belshazzar, he had his remarkable vision 
of the four beasts, denoting the four great monarchies of the 
ancient world, to be followed by the everlasting kingdom of Christ. 
In the third year of Belshazzar, he had his vision of the ram and 
the he-goat, by which were set forth the overthrow of the Persian 
e'mpire by Alexander the Great, and the terrible persecution of 
the Jews by Antiochas Epiphanes, one of the kings of Syria. At 
this time, Daniel " was occupied in the king's business ; " which 
shows that he was in office under Belshazzar, though we hear but 
little of him. 

S. — What became of Babylon, after its capture by Cyrus ? 

F. — The Babylonish empire now came to an end, after it had 
existed, — reckoning from the time of Nimrod, — seventeen hundred 
years. The city, to be sure, was not at once destroyed, but it 
never flourished more. Its decline was gradual, but constant, 
until it became a heap of ruins, and all that the p/^phets had fore- 
told of its desolation was accomplished. 



CONVERSATION II. 

THE JEWS UNDER THE MEDO-PERSIANS.— Darius.— Daniel the prophet made 
a prince. — Death of Darius. — The proclamation of Cyrus. — Liberating the Jews. — 
Cyrus fore- ordained for this act.— The influence of Daniel in restoration. — Zerubbabel 
the leader. — A contribution of over three hundred and fifty thousand dollars. — An 
example of liberality. — Laying the foundation of the second temple. — Zoroaster the 
philosopher. — The Zend-Avesta. — Xerxes. — His immense army. 

Son. — After the fall of Babylon, who reigned over the Meclo- 
Persian empire ? 

Father. — Daniel tells us it was Darius the Mede ; and this is 
true. For though Cyrus had won it by his valor, yet so long as 
his uncle lived, — who was also his father-in-law, — he allowed him 
not only a joint title to the kingdom, but the chief place of honor 
in it. This is that Darius who set ov^r the kingdom a hundred 
and twenty princes, and over these three presidents, of whom 
Daniel was first ; and who thought to set Daniel over the whole 
realm. This is that Darius who, to gratify the envy of his princes, 
cast Daniel into the den of lions ; and who, upon his miraculous 
deliverance, published a decree that " men should, everywhere, fear 
and tremble before the God of Daniel ; for he is the living God, 
and steadfast forever, and his dominion shall be even unto the end." 

S. — Where was Cyrus during these first years after the conquest 
of Bab3don? 

F. — While Darius was governing at Babylon, Cyrus and his army 
were in Syria, Palestine, and Egypt, subduing the restive nations, 
and setting in order the affairs of his vast kingdom. The symbolic 
ram w^as "pushing westward, and northward, and southward, and 
there was none that could deliver out of his hand." Cyrus was 
absent on this expedition about two years, when he was summoned 
hcnne by the death of Darius. He now became sole monarch of the 
Medo-Persian empire, over which he reigned in great prosjDerity 
for the next seven years. 

S. — What did Cyrus perform in behalf of the Jews? 



388 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

F. — Long before Jerusalem was destroyed, God had said to his 
people by the mouth of Jeremiah ; " Ye shall serve the king of 
Babylon seventy years ; and after seventy years shall be accom- 
plished, I will visit you, and perform my good word towards you, in 
causing you to return to this place " ( Jer. xxv. 11). At a still 
earlier period, God had spoken of Cyrus hy name., as the instrument 
by whom the restoration was to be accomplished. It was Cyrus 
who should " say to Jerusalem, Thou slialt he huilt^ and to the tem- 
ple, Thy foundation shall he laid'^ (Is. xlix. 28). Accordingly, in 
the very first year of his reign, Cyrus "made proclamation through- 
out all his kingdom, and put it in writing, saying. The Lord God 
of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and hath 
charged me to build him a house in Jerusalem, Avhich is in Judah. 
Who is there among you of all his people ? His God be with him, 
and let him go up to Jerusalem, and build the house of the Lord 
God of Israel, which is at Jerusalem. And whoso sojourneth in 
any place, let the men of his place help him, with silver, and with 
gold, and with goods, and with beasts, besides the free-will offerings 
which are for the house which is in Jerusalem" (Ezra i. 2-4). 

aS'. — Is it certain that the captivity of the Jews had now con- 
tinued seventy years? 

F. — This question can be easily settled. It commenced a year 
and two months previous to the death of Nabopolassar, the father of 
Nebuchadnezzar, — when Daniel and his three friends, and many 
others, were carried away. It continued through the entire reign 
of Nebuchadnezzar and his successors, till the fall of Babylon, and 
through the two years of Darius the Mede, making, in all, a period 
of sixty-nine years and two months. If we sujDpose the proclama- 
tion above quoted to have been issued in the tenth month of the 
first year of Cyrus, — which is as early in the year as could well be 
expected, — we have precisely the term of seventy years, from the 
commencement of the captivity to the decree of restoration. 

S. — Is it likely that Daniel had anything to do in procuring this 
decree of restoration? 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 389 

F. — I think it is. Daniel was now a venerable man, an old min- 
ister of state, famed for his great wisdom all over the east, and of 
long experience in the management of public affairs. He had 
learned from books that the years of predicted captivity were now 
accomplished, and had been much in prayer for the restoration of 
his people. As he had the ear of Cyrus, it is next to certain that 
he would use his influence with him to bring about this desirable 
event. It is evident from the proclamation of Cyrus, that he had 
seen those prophecies of Isaiah in which he was designated as the 
restorer of the Jews ; and who so likely to make him acquainted 
with them as his prime minister and chief counselor, Daniel ? 

S. — To what extent did the Jews take advantage of the decree 
of Cyrus? 

F. — In consequence of the decree of Cyrus, the Jews and Israel- 
ites gathered themselves together out of the several parts of his 
empire to the number of forty-three thousand. With their servants, 
they numbered fifty thousand. I saw the Jews and Israelites gath- 
ered themselves together; for the decree of emancipation extended 
to all alike, and it is certain that many of the latter returned 
with the Jews. They had for their leaders Zerubbabel, the son of 
Salathiel, of the seed royal, and Joshua, the son of Jozadak, the 
high priest. Unto them were delivered all the vessels of gold and 
silver, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the old temple at 
Jerusalem. A part of these were now taken to Jerusalem, and the 
remainder were brought by Ezra at a later period. 

S. — Did most of the Jews now return to Jerusalem, or did many 
remain behind? 

F. — Vast numbers, and those in general of the richest class, re- 
mained behind. They were well to do in Chaldea, and did not relish 
the thought of a removal. Hence, from this time, we find multi- 
tudes of Jews in those eastern countries, where they continued till 
the coming of Christ, and where their posterity remain unto this day. 

S. — How was it with the returning Jews, and what was their 
success ? 



390 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

F. — The exiles under Zeriibbabel and Joshua arrived in Judea 
in the month Nisam — the first of their year, corresponding to a 
part of our March and April. Their first effort was to provide 
themselves dwellings, and to commence the cultivation of their 
fields. But in the month Tisri, the seventh of their year, they 
assembled at Jerusalem, and united in celebrating their great 
annual festivals. At the same time they made a contribution for 
the re-building of the temple, amounting to more than three hun- 
dred and fifty thousand dollars of our money — a prodigious sum to 
be offered by these poor exiles — an example of liberality such as 
the world has rarely seen. In the second month of the next year, 
the foundations of the new temple w^ere laid with great solemnity, — 
some shouting and others weeping, so that " the noise was heard 
afar off." 

aS'. — How large was the second temple ? 

F. — It was of equal dimensions with the first ; being built on the 
same foundation. Still, it was in many respects far inferior. It 
was not built of such costly materials, or adorned with such splen- 
did ornaments, or surrounded with such elegant porches and courts. 
It was also lacking in those peculiar tokens of the Divine presence 
and favor, — the original ark of the covenant and tables of stone, 
the dazzling Shekinah, the Urim and Thummim, the holy anoint- 
ing oil, and the holy fire. But all these defects were more than 
compensated when the Lord whom they sought came suddenly to 
his temple, and Christ, the great Prophet, Priest and King, hon- 
ored it with his presence and worship. 

S. — How were the Samaritans affected when they heard of the 
return of the Jews, and their efforts to rebuild their temple ? 

F. — They sent messengers to the Jews, offering to assist them in 
the work, and to unite with them in acts of worship ; which offers 
the Jews declined. They did not acknowledge them as brethren of 
the same faith ; and besides, they suspected the motives of the 
Samaritans. They had not come to do them good, but hurt. The 
sequel proved that these suspicions were too well founded. Because 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 391 

the Jews declined their assistance and fellowship, the Samaritans 
became henceforth their bitterest enemies. They strove, by all 
means, to embarrass and hinder them. 

S. — Who succeeded Cyrus on the throne of Persia ? 

I^^ — Cambyses his son, called by Ezra, Ahasuerus (Cliap. iv. 6). 
To him the enemies of the Jews made supplication against them ; 
and though he would not revoke his father's decree, he rather dis- 
couraged than aided the work at Jerusalem. Cambyses died after 
a reign of between seven and eight years, and was succeeded by 
Smerdis, a usurper, who pretended to be a son of Cyrus, and whom 
Ezra calls Artaxerxes (Chap. iv. 7). He was induced by the 
Samaritans to issue an order, which put a stop to the building of 
the temple during the remainder of his reign, which happily con- 
tinued only a few months. 

S, — Who succeeded Smerdis ? 

F. — His successor was the renowned Darius Hystaspis, who 
reigned thirty-six years. He was one of the best friends and pow- 
erful supporters that the Jews ever had. The Samaritans applied 
to him, as they had done before, to put a stop to the work at Jeru- 
salem; but he searched and found the decree of Cyrus, and resolved 
that it should be carried into execution. He commanded that the 
tribute of the Samaritans should be paid over to the Jews, and that 
they should be liberally assisted with whatever else they needed. 
He finally ordered that, if any one should further oppose them, or 
attempt in any way to hinder them, a gallows should be made from 
the timber of his house, and that he should be haiiged thereon. At 
the same time, the people were stirred up, by the fervid appeals of 
the prophet Haggai, to forget their discouragements, and engage in 
the work of the house with new energy and zeal. From this time the 
building of the temple went so rapidly on that, at the end of three 
years, it was entirely accomplished. In the sixth year of the reign 
of Darius Hystaspis, and, on the third day of the twelfth Jewish 
month Adar, it was solemnly and joyfully dedicated. There were 
offered up at the dedication " one hundred bullocks, two hundred 



392 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

rams, and four hundred lambs, besides twelve he-goats for a sm 
offering, according to the number of the tribes of Israel." We have 
here an intimation that the persons concerned in this transaction 
were not merely Jews, but members, to some extent, of all the 
tribes of Israel. 

AS'.^What said the Samaritans, when the temple was finished and 
dedicated ? 

F. — They claimed that they were no longer under obligations to 
pay custom or tribute ; but on referring the question to Darius, he 
ordered that they should observe his edict, and pay tribute as 
Defore. It was now needed for the supiwrt of the temple, as it 
betore had been for the building of it. 

A^'. — What great Jewish festival was now celebrated in tlie new 
tempi e? 

F. — The Passover. " Seven days, they kept the feast of unleav- 
ened bread with joy ; for the Lord had made them joyful, and 
turned the heart of the king of Assyria unto them, to strengthen 
their hands in the work of the God of Israel." 

S. — How long did Darius live, after the dedication of the temple? 

F. — About thirty years. He was a prince of great wisdom, 
energy, clemency and justice. He was unfortunate in some of his 
military expeditions, more especially those against the Scythians 
and Athenians. It was during his reign that the Persians lost the 
famous battle of Marathon. But he extended the empire of Cyrus 
in other directions ; having added to it, in the east, a considerable 
part of India, and in the west, Thrace, Macedon, and the Ionian 
isles. 

S. — What distinguished philosopher flourished in Persia at this 
time? 

F. — Zoroaster. He was not the author of the magician religion, 
but only the reformer of it ; and the principal improvements that he 
made are said to have been borrowed from the Jewish Scriptures. 
He may have been personally acquainted with Ezekiel and Daniel, 
and studied the writings of Moses and the prophets. Like Mahomet 



COXVERSATIOXS OX THE BIBLE. 3 3 

cind other impostor.^, Zoroaster pretended to have been in heaven, 
and to have learned his religion there. He reformed the old 
magianism in its first principle, which was dualism — a god of 
light, and a god of darkness; the one the author of all good, the 
other of all evil. In opposition to all this, Zoroaster taught the 
doctrine of one Bupreme God — the prime Original and Author of all 
things ; and that the two great leaders in the conflict going on in 
this world are both of them derived and inferior beings. 

S. — Did Zoroaster and his followers worship images ? 

F — They did not. Zoroaster taught his followers to worship the 
sun and the fire, — not that he considered either of these as a god, 
but they were the special residences and brightest exhibitions of 
God. The book containing;' the revelations of Zoroaster is called 
the Zend-Avesta, or by contraction the Zend, He presented a copy 
of it to Darius Hystaspis, bound in eleven volumes, each of which 
consisted of a hundred skins of vellum. The book is still preserved 
among the Magians in the east, and is regarded by them with great 
veneration. The wise men who came from the east to worship our 
Savior were undoubtedly philosophers of this class. 

S. — Who succeeded Darius in the government? 

F. — His son Xerxes, sometimes called the great. He Avas a grand- 
son of Cyrus, whose daughter Darius had married. Xerxes con- 
firmed to the Jews at Jerusalem all the jmvileges which his father 
had granted them. In particular, he ordered that the tribute from 
the Samaritans for the support of the temple worship should be 
paid. 

aS'. — For what was the reign of Xerxes chiefly remarkable ? 

F. — For his unfortunate expedition in Greece. His i)reparations 
tor this, in men, money, and naval armaments were immense. 
As had been predicted by Daniel, "he stirred up all against the 
realm of Grecia " (Dan. xi. 2). He formed a league with the 
Carthaginians, by which they were to assist him with an army and 
with ships. He drew together, from all parts of his vast empire, 
such a body of men as tiie w^orld had never seen. According: to 



394 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

Herodotus, his active forces, when he arrived in Greece, amounted 
to 2,642,610 men ; while the servants, eunuchs, women, sutlers, and 
others who followed the camp, were thought to be as many more. 
Here then was a collection of more than five millions of souls, 
brought together at a single point, for the subjugation of Greece. 
Ko wonder that Xerxes wept, as he looked down upon them from 
an eminence, under the impression that, in less than a hundred 
fears, they would all be dead. 

/S. — How did this vast expedition terminate ? 

F. — You have all read of the manner in which this unwieldy 
arm}^ of Asiatics Avas received at Thermopylse by Leonidas, and 
his invincible Spartans. You have read of the battle of Salamis, 
where the Greeks took and destroyed hundreds of the Persian ships, 
and obliged the rest to flee to the coasts of Asia. Upon the loss of 
his fleet, Xerxes, with the greater part of his army, hastened back 
hito Asia, and took up their Avinter-quarters at Sardis. Mean- 
while, the Carthaginians, on AAdiom he had relied to assist liim, 
AA^ere so totally defeated in Sicily, that scarcely a man remained 
to tell of the disaster. On his return out of Greece, Xerxes left 
behind him Mardonius, one of his generals, Avith three hundred 
and fifty thousand men. These encountered the Greeks at Platea, 
the next year, Avhere they Avere utterly defeated, and the most of 
them weve slain. 

S. — What did Xerxes now do ? 

F. — He lost no time in getting back to Persia. He only stopped 
to destroy and to plunder all the idolatrous temples that came in 
his w^ay. He is supposed to have done this, first, because, being 
himself a Magian, he was opposed to idol Avorship ; and, secondly, 
because he needed the spoils of the temples to idemnify him for 
the enormous expenses of the AA^ar. From this time, we hear of no 
great Persian expedition into Greece ; but soon the tide of Avar 
flows in the other direction, and Greece is pouring her armies into 
Persia. 

S. — What can be said of Xerxes, afte:- his return to Persia? 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 395 

F. — The remainder of his reign was not creditable to him. He 
became involved in shameful domestic troubles, which could be 
terminated only in cruelty and blood. When these were adjusted, 
he gave himself up to luxury and ease, minding nothing but the 
gratification of his pleasures and lusts ; on which account one of 
his military officers conspired against him, and slew him in his 
bed. 

S. — By whom was he succeeded ? 

F. — By his third son, Artaxerxes Longimanus. He was the 
great grandson of Cyrus. The incidents of his reign, with the 
aistinguished favor which he showed to the Jews, will be the 
subject of our next conversation. 

25 



CONVERSATION III. 

THE JEWS UNDER THE MEDO-PERSIANS.— Artaxerxes supposed to have been 
the husband of Esther. — The decree of divorce. — Ezra and his commission. — The pre- 
diction of Daniel. — Ezra's government. — The great work of his life. — Introduction of 
the synagogue. — Nehemiah builds the walls of Jerusalem. — Origin of the Samaritan 
Pentateuch. — Malachi the last of the prophets. — Socrates the philosopher. — Plato 
born. 

Son. — At the close of our last conversation, yon said that Xerxes 
was succeeded by his third son, Artaxerxes Longimanus. Was 
he the husband of Esther ? 

Father. — It has long been a question, which of the Persian 
kings was the husband of Esther. I think that it must have been 
Artaxerxes Longimanus. He had great difficulties to contend 
with in the beginning of his reign, more especially from those 
who had slain his father, and from his eldest brother, governor 
of Bactria. But by his energy and wisdom, these were at length 
overcome ; after which he set himself to reform abuses and dis- 
orders in his empire, to call the governors of the provinces to 
an account, and to remove such as had proved themselves un- 
worthy. By these means, he not only strengthened himself in 
the kingdom, but secured the affection and confidence of his 
subjects. 

S. — When peace had been restored, and the government was 
established, how did he celebrate his victories ? 

F. — He appointed a solemn festival to be observed in his palace 
for the term of one hundred and eighty days ; and when these were 
ended, he made one for the people that were in Shushan, seven 
days. His queen, at the same time, made a like entertainment in 
her apartments for the women. " On the seventh day, when the 
heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded his seven 
chamberlains to bring in the queen, with the crown royal on her 
head, that he might show to the princes and people her beauty. 
But the fair queen resented this injunction, as being inconsistent 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 397 

with her dignity, and unbecoming the modesty of her sex. She 
would not come. Upon this, the king was highly incensed, and 
called around him his wise counselors, that he might confer with 
them in regard to her. Believing that the example of disobedi- 
ence which the queen had set, to be one of dangerous influence 
in the realm, they advised that she be forthwith deposed and 
divorced ; that she come no more into the presence of the king ; 
and that her royal state should be given to another, better than 
herself. This advice was accepted of the king, and a decree went 
forth for its immediate execution. 

S. — What followed the disgrace of the queen ? 

F. — This opened the way for the elevation of Esther, whose 
story is told with inimitable beauty in the book which bears her 
name. Her Jewish name was Hadassah, but her Persian name 
was Esther. She was instrumental, in the hand of God, of pro- 
moting, in various ways, the interests of her people, — more espe- 
cially in delivering them from a threatened destruction, and in 
effecting the ruin of their proud and cruel enemy. 

S. — In the first part of this reign, what did Ezra do for the 
benefit of his people ? 

F. — He obtained a commission from the king and his counselors, 
to go up to Jerusalem, with as many of the Jews as were pleased to 
accompany him, with full power to settle the state and reform the 
church of Israel, and to govern both according to their own laws. 

^._Who was Ezra? 

F. — He was a priest by descent, and a very learned and holy 
man. He is spoken of as " a ready scribe in the law of his God." 

S. — What will you say of the commission given to Ezra ? 

F. — In its provisions it was liberal, ample, and abundant. It 
granted every favor, and all the authority, which any one could 
desire. He was authorized to take with him any number of his 
people who were minded to go, and any amount in gold and silver, 
and in vessels for the house of the Lord, Avhich might be contrib- 
uted. The decree is given in the seventh chapter of Ezra, and 



398 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

nothing is wanting to it which the most devoted friend of the 
Jews could require. Ezra must have been in high reputation 
at the Persian court for integrity and wisdom, or such a commis- 
sion could never have been given him. 

aS'. — Having received his commission, what did Ezra do ? 

F. — He hastened his preparations with all possible dispatch, 
and commenced his journey from Babylon to Jerusalem on the 
first day of the first Jewish month — about the middle of our 
March. He halted a little at the river Ahava, till the rest of his 
company came up, — when, in a solemn fast, he commended both 
himself and them to the protection of the Almighty. They then 
set forward on their way to Jerusalem, where they safely arrived 
on the first day of the fifth month, having been just four months 
on the journe3^ Arrived at the temple, Ezra delivered to the 
keepers of it the gifts and offerings which had been made by the 
king and his princes, amounting to one hundred talents of gold, 
and six hundred and fifty talents of silver, together with vessels 
of gold and silver for the service of the temple, of exceeding 
value. He then entered upon his government, according to the 
king's decree, and continued it, much to the edification and com- 
fort of the people, for the next thirteen years. 

S. — What prediction of Daniel began to have its fulfillment, in 
this decree of Artaxerxes ? 

F. — His memorable prediction of the seventy weeks, at the close 
of which the Messiah was to be cut off. The prediction of Daniel 
is as follows : " Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people, 
and upon the holy city, to finish the trangression, and to make an 
end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in 
everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophec}-, 
and to anoint the Most Holy" (Dan., Chap. ix). It has been 
generally understood that, in these seventy prophetic weeks, or four 
hundred and ninety days, each da}^ stands for a year ; so that the 
whole period designated is four hundred and ninety years. Now it 
is a remarkable fact that, between the seventh year of Artaxerxes, 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 399 

when the above commission was given to Ezra, and the year of 
our Lord's crucifixion, is precisely four hundred and ninety years.* 
This statement may be relied on as true, whatever theories may 
have been got up to account for it. 

aS'. — What was the condition of the Jews at Jerusalem, when 
Ezra arrived among them ? 

F. — He found the people much degenerated and corrupted, and 
in need of a thorough reformation ; and such a reformation he 
immediately attempted. He obliged those persons who had con- 
nected themselves in marriage with the people of the land to put 
away their strange wives, and to conform, in this respect, to the 
law of Moses. He took much pains to instruct the people in the 
law, multiplying copies of it, and causing it to be read and 
expounded on great public occasions. By degrees, he brought 
the Jewish church into an outward visible state, in which it 
remained to the coming of Christ. 

aS'. — What other important work in regard to the Scriptures 
did E^zra accomplish ? 

F. — Being an inspired man, and one thoroughly versed in the 
sacred books of the Jews, he was led to collect and revise those 
holy records, and give to the Church a correct edition of them, 
or of such of them as had then been written. Some of these books 
he wrote himself, and tlie others he so prepared and set in order, 
as in effect to settle the canon of the Old Testament Scriptures. 
He settled it so perfectly, that it received the sanction of our 
Savior and his Apostles, and has been accepted by Jews and 
Christians in all periods since. This was the great work of Ezra's 
life. For this he will be remembered with gratitude and honor, 
so long as the Bible is read, or the world endures. 

S. — Did Ezra introduce any new religious institution among 
the Jews at Jerusalem? 



*Our Savior was crucified in the year of the Julian period, 4746. The seventh year 
of Artaxerxes was the year of the Julian period, 4256. The difference between the two 
numbers is 490 



400 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

F. — He is supposed to have instituted the synagogue and its 
worship. It is certain that there were no synagogues in the land 
previous to his time ; and that they were in use shortly after his 
death. It would seem, also, that they must have been of Divine 
institution, or they would not have been so frequented by our 
Savior. Neither can it be doubted that they were of great advan- 
tage to the Israelites, tending, as they necessarily must, to multiply 
copies of the sacred writings, and to promote a better understand- 
ing of them among the people. Previous to the establishment of 
synagogues, the people, having no religious worship but that of the 
temple, and being comparatively ignorant of the law, were perpetu- 
ally running into idolatry. The gods of the surrounding nations 
were a constant snare to them. But after the introduction of syn- 
agogues, in which the law was read and explained every Sabbath, 
they were as much averse to idolatry as they had been before 
addicted to it, and so it has been with the Jews ever since. They 
have fallen into other great sins, but with the worship of idols 
they have not been chargeable. 

S. — What were Ezra's qualifications as a ruler, a magistrate? 

F. — He seems to have been more a scholar than a ruler, more a 
teacher than a magistrate. After his utmost endeavors to reform 
abuses and to carry forward the work of the Lord, irregularities 
crept in among the people, and the inclosing and fortifying of 
Jerusalem were not completed. This is evident from the sad 
account of things which Avas brought to Nehemiah, then in Persia, 
and which led to his appointment, in place of Ezra, in the govern- 
ment. 

S. — Who was Nehemiah, and what was his character? 

F. — Nehemiah was a Jew, who originated at Jerusalem, but his 
ancestors are not known. He was now an inhabitant of Shushan, 
the royal city of Persia, was a man of indomitable energy and pro- 
found wisdom, was a possessor of great wealth, and held an 
important office near the king. He learned from certain Jews who 
came from Jerusalem, that his brethren there were in great affliction 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 401 

and reproach ; that the walls of the city were still broken down ; 
that its gates had not been set up ; and that, though the temple 
had been rebuilt and its worship established, the cit}^ remained com- 
paratively desolate. 

S. — How was Nehemiah affected by these tidings from Jerusa- 
lem? 

F. — He sat down and wept, and mourned, and fasted certain 
days, and prayed before the God of heaven. He resolved, at the 
same time, that he would apply to the king for permission and 
authority to go to Jerusalem, and set up its gates, and repair its 
broken walls. Accordingly he sought an opportunit}', Avhen it 
came his turn to wait upon the king, and when Queen Esther was 
sitting beside him, to present a petition to this effect, — Avhich was 
readily and liberally granted. A royal decree was issued for build- 
ing the walls and gates of Jerusalem, and Nehemiah was sent there 
as governor of Judea, to put it in execution. And to do him the 
greater honor, the king sent a guard of horse, to conduct him in 
safety to his province. He also wrote letters to all the governors 
west of the Euphrates to aid him in his work, and to the keepers of 
his forests to grant him as much timber out of them as he should 
need. Thus commissioned and furnished, Nehemiah went up to 
Jerusalem, took upon him the administration of the government, 
and immediately commenced the great work for w^hich he had 
come. 

aS'. — How were the Samaritans affected by the new order of 
things at Jerusalem? 

F. — No sooner had the Jews, under their new governor, com- 
menced repairing the gates and walls of their city, than they were 
assailed by their old adversaries — Sanballat and his followers — with 
threats of personal force and violence ; so that while a part of the 
people labored on the wall, another part were under arms for their 
defense. In consequence of the excellent arrangements of the gov- 
ernor, and the diligence and perseverance of the j)eople, the wall of 
Jerusalem was repaired in less than two months, the gates were set 



402 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

up, and a public dedication was celebrated with great solemnity by 
all the Jews. 

S. — What further did Nehemiah do for the people ? 

F. — He set himself to ease the people of their burthens, and to 
accomplish necessary reforms, — in all which he was essentially 
aided by the counsel and co-operation of Ezra. Previous to this 
time, the rich among the Jews had been in the habit of exacting 
usury of their poorer brethren, and of oppressing them in various 
ways, so that many had been constrained to alienate their posses- 
sions, and even to sell their children into servitude, to procure 
bread for the support of themselves and their families. Upon hear- 
ing of these things, Nehemiah resolved to correct the evil at once ; 
and so, having called the people together, he showed them how 
grossly they had violated the laws of God, and how much their 
oppressions tended to provoke his wrath. Whereupon it was re- 
solved, by the whole assembly, not only that these odious exactions 
should cease, but that full restitution should be made. 

S. — What plan did Nehemiah now propose for the benefit of the 
new city, Jerusalem ? 

F. — He wished to increase its population — to fill it up with 
houses and inhabitants ; for while it lay unfortified, without walls 
and gates, few had been disposed to build houses there. He first 
persuaded all whom he could influence to come and establish their 
homes in the city, and then every tenth man was taken by lot, and 
obliged to come and make his dwelling there. In this way the city 
was soon filled with inhabitants, and began to assume something of 
its ancient greatness. 

aS'. — Did Nehemiah continue permanently at Jerusalem ? 

F. — He did not. When he had been twelve years governor of 
Judea, he was under a necessity of returning to the Persian court, 
where he was detained for about five years. He then returned 
with a new commission, and found that his presence was greatly 
needed at Jerusalem. He found, for example, that his old enemy, 
Tobiah the Ammonite, had allied himself in marriage to the family 



CONVERSATIOXS ON THE BIBLE. 403 

of the liigli priest; and that the high priest, for his accommoda- 
tion, had assigned to him one of the chambers in the house of the 
Lord. But Nehemiah was not long in removing this eviL He cast 
forth, at once, '' all the household stuff of Tobiah out of the 
chamber," and commanded that it should be cleansed and restored 
to its former use. 

Nehemiah also found that, during his absence, the portions of the 
singers and Levites had not been given them ; so that they had been 
constrained to forsake their appropriate employments about the 
temple, and to seek a support by the labors of the field. This evil, 
also, was soon corrected. Nehemiah got the rulers together and 
chided them saying, " Why is the house of God forsaken ? " Under 
his vigorous administration, the Levites were quickly restored to 
their places, and the tithes of corn and wine were duly rendered. 

The next abuse with which Nehemiah grappled was the vio- 
lation of the Sabbath. There were some among the Jews who 
trode their wine presses on the Sabbath, and brought sheaves and 
all manner of burdens into Jerusalem ; also the Tyrian merchants 
brought fish, and all kinds of ware, and sold them on the Sabbath 
day. For these things, Nehemiah sharply reproved the rulers of 
the city, saying, "Did not your fathers thus? And did not our 
God bring all this evil upon us and upon this city ? Yet ye bring 
more wrath upon Israel by profaning the Sabbath" (Neh. xiii. 18). 
From this time Nehemiah commanded that the gates of the city 
should be shut the evening before the Sabbath, and that no secular 
business should be performed, either within the city, or without the 
walls. 

In putting an end to unlawful marriages, Nehemiah found that 
Manasseh, one of the sons of the high priest, had married a daughter 
of the notorious Sanballat, governor of Samaria, and refused to put 
his wife away. " Wherefore," says Nehemiah, " I chased him from 
me." 

aS". — What became of this Manasseh ? 

F. — He fled to Samaria, carrying a copy of the law of Moses 



404 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE, 

with him. He persuaded Sanballat to build a temple for him on 
mount Gerizim, after the same pattern as that at Jerusalem. We 
have here the origin of the Samaritan pentateuch, and of the 
worship on mount Gerizim, which continued till the coming of 
Christ. 

S, — What prophet appeared in Jerusalem in these last days of 
Nehemiah ? 

F. — Malachi, the last of the Hebrew prophets. He does not, like 
Haggai and Zechariah, reprove the people for neglecting to build 
the fallen temple, but for neglecting what appertained to the true 
worship of God in it. In short, the corruptions which he charges 
upon the Jews are the same which Nehemiah undertook to correct, 
on his return from the Persian court. 

>S'. — How long after this did Nehemiah live ? 

i^.— We do not know precisely. The reformation which he so 
happily accomplished after his return to Jerusalem, is the last of his 
history of which we have any knowledge. He outlived his great 
prince and patron Artaxerxes, and was retained in office under 
Darius Nothus his son. Nehemiah, Ezra and Malachi — fellow labor- 
ers in the work of the Lord at Jerusalem — disappear from the 
sacred page together ; and with them, — with the exception of a few 
names in the genealogies, — the canon of the Old Testament closes. 

S. — What was the character of Nehemiah ? 

F. — This must be gathered from his works. That he was a man 
of great firmness, decision and energy as well as goodness — ''a 
terror to evil-doers and a praise to them that do well," — is very 
obvious. That he had a quick and strong insight into human 
character, and much wisdom in the direction of public affairs is 
very plain. In short, he was, in a sense, a model magistrate^ raised 
up and qualified for the particular service to which he was called, 
and to whom his nation was under the highest obligations. I ought 
to say a word of his great liberality^ his public spirit. During the 
whole time that he was in office, he sustained the honors of it with 
a princely magnificence, and all at his own personal expense. He 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 406 

would receive no salary or support from the people, because their 
burthens were heavy upon them (Chap. v. 18). 

S. — How long did Artaxerxes (the Ahasuerus of Esther) reign? 

F. — His reign continued forty-one years. His administration 
was peaceful and prosperous, and eminently favorable to the Jews. 
He reconquered the Egyptians, who had revolted from him, and 
held them in subjection to the end of his reign. He succeeded 
early in concluding a peace with the Greeks, which added much to 
his own security and tranquillity. During the latter part of his 
reign the Peloponnesian Avar was raging in Greece, which furnished 
sufficient employment for that restless and turbulent people, with- 
out turning their arms against the Persians. It was at this time 
that Socrates commenced his philosophical career at Athens, and 
that Plato, his most distinguished pupil and follower, was born. 



CONVEKSATION lY. 

PROPHETS DURING THE CAPTIVITY.— Daniel.— His three companions.— Their 

education. — Enrolled among the king's servants. — Daniel's interpretation of the king's 
dream. — His elevation to posts of honor. — The image of Nebuchadnezzar. — The king's 
second dream. — Daniel's visions. — The hand-writing on the wall. — Honored bj Darius. — 
In the den of lions. — His death. — Book of Daniel doubted. 

Son. — How much do we know, personally, of the prophet Daniel? 

Father. — Very little except what is recorded in the book of 
Daniel ; and yet this book, — though not a biography or history, — 
gives us a pretty full account of him. 

S. — Please relate the principal incidents of his life, as gathered 
from the book itself 

F. — Daniel was a Jew, born probably at Jerusalem, and connected 
with the royal family, if not of royal descent. Of his first years, 
nothing is recorded. Early in life, at the age, perhaps, of from 
twelve to fifteen, he was carried a captive from Jerusalem to 
Babylon. He was in the first company of captives that were car- 
ried away, — in the fourth year of the reign of Jehoiakim, king of 
Judah. There were three others, apparently of the same rank, viz.^ 
Hananiah, Michael and Azariah, who were carried away with him. 
These four were selected, on account of their rank, and their high 
promise, to be educated in the language and literature of the 
Chaldees, that they might be employed in the service of the king. 
Liberal provision was made for them by the government, that, at 
the end of three years, they might be prepared for examination. 

Daniel had before been instructed in Hebrew learning, and was 
thoroughly imbued with the principles of the religion of his 
fathers. Indeed, I would hope that both he and his three friends 
were, at this early period, truly pious. They were conscientiously 
averse, at any rate, to accepting the provision which the king had 
made for them. They would not "defile themselves with their 
portion of the king's meat, nor of the wine which he drank." 
Hence Daniel made application to the prince of the eunuchs, who 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 407 

had charge of them, that they might be permitted to live after 
their own laws and customs, and not after those of the Chaldeans. 
And after some hesitation and trial, the request of Daniel was 
granted. 

For their conscientious fidelity in this matter, God blessed these 
young men, so that, at the end of three years, they were examined 
and highly approved of the king, and were enrolled among his 
servants. Indeed, it is said that "in all matters of wisdom, and 
understanding, that the king inquired of them, he found them ten 
times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in his 
realm." 

S. — On what occasion was the superior wisdom of Daniel soon 
brought to the test ? 

F. — In the second year of king Nebuchadnezzar's reign, he had a 
dream which, at the time, troubled him, but which, when he 
awoke, was gone from him. He could remember nothing of it. 
And none of his magicians and astrologers could help him in this 
matter ; and they were all of them in danger of losing their lives 
because of their inability. But when Daniel was summoned, he 
related to the king his forgotten dream, and told him the interpre- 
tation — an interpretation which has been in process of fulfillment 
ever since, and which reaches down to the end of time. In con- 
sequence of this, " Then the king made Daniel a great man, and 
gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole 
province of Babylon, and chief of the governors over all the wise 
men of Babylon " (Chap. ii. 48). 

S. — Some years after this, it seems that Nebuchadnezzar set up 
a great image of gold,— perhaps a likeness of that which he had 
seen in vision, — and required all his princes, and governors, 
officers, and people to fall down and worship it. And for refusing 
to do this, the three friends of Daniel were cast into a burning, 
fiery furnace. But we hear nothing of Daniel on this occasion. 
Where was he ? Was he absent ? Or did he actually worship the 
image ? 



408 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

F. — It is hardly likely that Daniel was absent ; and it is very 
certain that he did not worship the image. The more probable 
supposition is, that he was not complained of. It was envy which 
prompted the complaints, and their authors scarcely dared to aim 
their shafts so high as Daniel. At any rate, they deemed it safet 
to dispose of some of the smaller offenders first. The issue proved 
that they had better not have meddled even with these (Chap. iii). 

aS'. — Later on in his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had another dream 
— a great tree presented itself, whose height reached unto heaven, — ■ 
and under whose shadow, all the beasts of the earth found shelter. 
He again summoned all his magicians and astrologers, and told them 
the dream ; but they did not interpret it. And why did they not? 

F. — Perhaps they could not, or foreseeing the probable drift of 
the vision, perhaps they dare not. But Daniel fearlessly told the 
interpretation, and Avarned the king to prepare for what was before 
him. The tree represented the king himself; its fall denoted a 
state of beastly derangement into which the king would fall, and 
in which he would continue seven years ; the sprouts from the 
roots denoted that he would recover his reason, and that his 
kingdom should be restored to him. All this, suddenly and lit- 
erally came to pass; and after his restoration, he made a noble 
confession, showing that he had been spiritually instructed and 
profited, and had become a worshiper of the true God : " I do 
bless the Most High, and I praise and honor him, that liveth 
forever, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and by whom 
all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing ; who doeth 
according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhab- 
itants of the earth, and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, 
What doest thou? " (Chap. iv. 35). 

aS'. — How long did Xebuchadnezzar live after this period ? 

F. — Not very long; and during the remainder of his life, and 
the reigns of his three immediate successors, — although Daniel 
was still in office, and did, as he tells us, " the king's business," we 
hear nothing of him in any public capacity. 



CONVJ£RSATI0NS ON THE BIBLE. 409 

S. — Had he no visions during tliis period ? 

F. — ^He had two most remarkable visions. In the first year of 
Belshazzar, he had his vision of the four beasts, representing the 
four great monarchies of the ancient world — the Babylonian, the 
Medo-Persian, the Grecicin, and the Roman — to be followed by the 
everiasrmg kingdom of the Most High (Chap. vii). 

'JTwo years later, he saw the vision of the ram and the he-goat^ 
denoting the Medo-Persian empire, and its overthrow by the 
Grecian. ±ie traces the Grecian empire until its division, on the 
deatn ot Alexander, into four kingdoms. He traces one of these 
kingdoms (the Syrian) to the time of Antiochus Epiphanes, setting 
forth his oppressions and persecutions, and his final overthrow. 
" He shall be broken Avithout hand " (Chap. xiii. 25). 

S. — Where was Daniel, when Babylon was taken? 

F. — H^ was probably in the city. Belshazzar was having a 
drunken frolic, with his nobles, his wives, and his concubines, and 
drinking wine out of the golden vessels which had been plundered 
from the temple at Jerusalem, when, suddenly, there appeared a 
hand, writing something on the walls of the palace, which no one 
present could read or understand. The astrologers and the sooth- 
sayers were called in, but no one could read the writing. Daniel 
is now summoned into the royal presence ; and he deciphers the 
mysterious inscription, and denounces the speedy downfall of Bel- 
shazzar and Babylon. And all this was accomplished at once. 
Cyrus and his army have already entered the city, and are knock- 
ing at the palace gate. He makes for himself an entrance, destroys 
the king and his princes, and the city is taken. 

aS'. — How was Daniel regarded and treated by the conquerors ? 

F. — With great favor. Darius the Mede took possession of the 
kingdom, while Cyrus was pursuing his conquests in western Asia. 
" Darius set over the kingdom one hundred and twenty princes, 
and over these three presidents, of whom Daniel was first, that the 
princes might give account unto them, and the king should re- 
ceive no damage." Daniel was now, it would seem, a chief ruler 



410 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

of the kingdom, and " the king thought to set him over the Avhole 
realm." 

S. — How was this high promotion of a foreigner and a Jew 
regarded by the other officers of government ? 

F. — It excited their envy, and they sought his ruin. But they 
could find no occasion against him, except in regard to his relig- 
ion. Knowing that Daniel was in the habit of praying daily ro 
the God of heaven, they proposed to the old superstitious king 
the passage of a decree, that any person who, within thirty daj^s. 
should offer a petition to any god or man, except himself, should 
be cast into the den of lions. So the king passed the decree — a 
decree which, according to the laws of the Medes and Persians, 
could not be changed. Although Daniel knew that such a decree 
had been passed, and that it was intended for his destruction, yet 
he did not cease to pray. With his windows open, '' he kneeled 
upon his knees three times a day, and prayed and gave thanks 
to God as he did aforetime." His enemies found him, as they 
expected to, in the very act of prayer. They reported his case to 
the king ; and the king felt constrained, though with great re- 
luctance, to consign him to the den of lions, — but the God in 
whom he trusted, was there before him ; the lions' mouths were 
shut ; and no evil was done to him. But when, on the following 
day, his persecutors were thrown to the lions, they seized them and 
" brake all their bones in pieces, before they came to the bottom of 
the den." 

S. — Had Daniel any prophetic visions or revelations during the 
reign of Darius ? 

F. — He had ; but his revelations henceforward were made to 
him, not, as before, by symbolic visions, but by the ministry of 
angels. In the first year of Darius, while Daniel was praying and 
confessing his sins, and the sins of his people, the angel Gabriel 
was sent to assure him of the coming of the Messiah, at the end 
of seventy prophetic weeks, or of 490 years — a prediction which 
was literally and wonderfully accomplished. Again, in the third 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 411 

year of Cyrus, when Darius was dead, and when Daniel had been 
mourning and fasting three whole weeks, an angel came to *him, 
and had a long conversation with him. He told him how many 
kings would yet stand up in Persia ; and how the last of them 
would be overthrown by the king of Grecia ; and how the vast 
empire of the king of Grecia would be broken and divided towards 
the four winds. Yet not to his posterity. He then predicts the 
long wars between the kings of the north and the kings of the 
south — the kings of Syria and of Egypt — down to the death of 
Antiochus Epiphanes, and probably further, even unto the end of 
the world. The prediction as to the wars between the kings of 
the north and the kings of the south, in the eleventh chapter, is 
one of the most remarkable that ever was uttered, and was most 
remarkably fufilled, as any one, by consulting the histories of these 
old monarchs, will see. 

S, — Do we hear anything of Daniel later than the third year of 
Cyrus ? 

F, — We do not. There are many traditions, but nothing is cer- 
tainly known. He was now a venerable man, — not less than 
ninety, and the probability is that he died in Persia. He is the 
only one of the prophets who enjoyed any great degree of worldly 
favor. From his early promotion by Nebuchadnezzar, to the day 
of his death, he seems to have been in the courts of princes, and 
to have been in their employ. And yet he never swerved, so far 
as we know, from the right ways of the Lord. He could go into 
the lion's den, but he could not omit the duty of prayer. Neither 
frowns nor favors, promises nor threats, had any influence with 
him to turn him aside from what he conceived to be the path of 
his duty. 

S. — Has the authenticity of the book of Daniel been called in 
question? 

F. — It has been often, from the days of Porphyry, in the third 
century, to the present time. The principal argument against the 
book is the obvious fulfillment of its predictions, indicating that it 

26 



412 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

must be history, and not prophecy ; a fair example this of the 
inconsistency of unbelievers. If the predictions of Scripture are 
not directly and obviously fulfilled, then they are no predictions at 
all, and nothing can be proved b}^ them. But if their fidfillment 
is too plain to be denied, then they must have been written after 
the events. The authenticity of no one of our sacred books rests 
on surer evidence than that of Daniel. 

S. — How happens it that, in our Hebrew Bibles, the book of 
Daniel does not stand with the other prophets, but is thrust away 
among the Proverbs and Psalms ? 

F. — The probable reason is, that Daniel's prediction of the 
Messiah, with the precise time of his coming, was one which the 
modern Jews wished to keep out of sight. It is certain that the 
book of Daniel was originally in its place among the prophets, that 
it was so until after the coming of Christ, and that its displacement 
in our common Hebrew Bibles is a late occurrence. 

aS'. — Who wrote the book of Daniel? 

F. — Probably Daniel himself. In repeated instances the writer 
speaks of himself as " I Daniel." It is not poetry, like most of the 
other prophets, but is written in prose. 

aS'. — Is the book of Daniel referred to, as a part of Scripture, by 
our Savior ? 

F, — It is (see Matt. xxiv. 15). 

S. — Why was not the book of Daniel written in Hebrew, like the 
other books of the Old Testament ? 

F. — About half of it is written in Hebrew ; the other part is in 
Chaldee, which differs slightly from the Hebrew. Nor is this to be 
wondered at, when we consider that the book was written in the 
East, by one who had long used the Chaldean language, and for the 
use of a people to whom the Chaldee had become familiar. The 
book of Ezra also has several chapters in Chaldee. 

S. — What book of the New Testament does Daniel most resemble? 

F. — Perhaps the Apocalypse. The symbols employed are like 
those of the Apocalypse, and it looks forward to many of the same 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 413 

events. The two books should be studied together, and critically 
compared the one with the other. 

S. — How was Daniel regarded in the ancient eastern world? 

F. — His name was widely known, and greatly respected, as it 
deserved to be. A man who could pass through prosperity and 
adversity, as he did, unscathed — who preferred to lay down the 
highest offices which kings could confer, and subject himself to 
shame and a horrid death, rather than shrink, in the slightest 
degree, from what he conceived to be his religious duty, is cer- 
tainly entitled to the respect and admiration of the world. 



CONVERSATIOISr V. 

PROPHETS DUEING THE CAPTIVITY.— Ezekiel.—Cotemporary with Jeremiah.— 
Called to the prophetic office. — Death of his wife. — Forbidden to mourn for her. — His 
character and reputation among the Jews. — His regard for Daniel. — His probable death 
in Chaldea at an old age. 

Son. — When was Ezekiel carried to Babylon ? 

Father. — He was in the second company of exiles, among whom 
was Jehoiachin, son of Jehoiakim, one of the Jewish kings. This 
was eight years after the first deportation, when Daniel was carried 
away, and eleven years previous to the destruction of Jerusalem. 

S. — How old was Ezekiel, when he went into captivity ? 

F. — Probably, about twenty-five. Five years after this, he was 
called to the prophetical office ; and this, I think, is what he means 
in the first verse of his prophecy, where he says that he was called 
'4n the thirtieth year," i. e., in the thirtieth year of his age. 
Ezekiel, like Jeremiah, was a priest, and could not enter on his 
priestly duties until his thirtieth year (see Numb. Chap. iv). He 
seems, therefore, to have assumed the prophetical office, and the 
priestly office, at the same time. 

aS'. — Was Ezekiel cotemporary with Jeremiah ? 

F. — He was ; but did not enter on his prophetical work so soon. 
He prophesied also in a different place, — Jeremiah at Jerusalem, 
and Ezekiel among the captives in Chaldea. Ezekiel was also 
cotemporary Avith Daniel, and like him among the captives ; and yet 
it does not seem that they were personally acquainted. Daniel was 
at the capital, and belonged to the king's court ; Ezekiel Avas by the 
river Chebar, two hundred miles away. Daniel was much employed 
''in the king's business ; " Ezekiel was a simple prophet, in private 
life. Ezekiel knew of Daniel, and had a great veneration for him. 
He classes him with Noah and Job (Chap. xiv. 14). But the 
probability is, that they never met. 

S. — Where was the river Chebar, where Ezekiel lived ? 

F. — It was the same as the river Chaboras, flowing into the 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 415 

Euphrates in upper Mesopotamia, two hundred miles north of the 
city of Babylon. It would seem that many of the captive Jews, — 
perhaps most of those who came with Ezekiel, — were settled here- 

S. — How was Ezekiel called to the prophetical office? 

F. — The manner of it was sublime and wonderful, and is fully 
described in the first chapter of his prophecy. The living creatures 
whom he saw were cherubim, often spoken of in other parts of the 
Scripture. They are, as it seems to me, a high order of angelic 
beings, — the personal guards and servants, so to speak, of the eter- 
nal throne. They are here, in the first chapter of Ezekiel, repre- 
sented as in a peculiar attitude of service — bearing up the throne of 
God, and constituting the chariot of his glory. " Above the firma- 
ment that was over the heads of the cherubim was the likeness of a 
throne ; and upon the likeness of the throne was the appearance of 
a man above upon it. This was the appearance of the likeness of 
the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face " 
(Chap. i. 26, 28). 

S. — How was Ezekiel regarded by the people among whom he 
prophesied ? 

F, — He was respected and honored by them. They regarded 
him as a teacher sent from God. Accordingly we hear, in repeated 
instances, of the elders coming and sitting before him, to inquire of 
the Lord. But though they heard his warnings respectfully, they 
were often slow to regard them. And God speaks of them after 
this manner : " They come unto thee as the peojDle cometh, and 
they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but 
they will not do them. For with their mouth they show much 
love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness " (Chap, xxxiii. 
21). 

aS'. — Had the prophet Ezekiel a family? 

F. — We know that he had a wife ; for we read of her sudden 
death, on the day that Jerusalem was taken. And he was for- 
bidden to mourn for her, that he might be a sign unto his people 
(Chap. xxiv. 16). 



416 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE, 

S. — In what ways were the predictions of Ezekiel delivered? 

F. — They were variously delivered,^sometimes in visions ; 
sometimes in symbolical actions ; sometimes in similitudes, parables 
and proverbs ; sometimes in poems, and direct predictions. The 
extent of his subjects and the marvelous nature of his revelations 
made him occasionally obscure. 

S. — Into how many sections may this book be divided? 

F. — Into as many as four. First, we have his remarkable call 
and commission to be a prophet to his people. This occupies the 
three first chapters, and comes up again in chapter thirty-third. 
The second contains his reproofs and warnings, sometimes in- 
tended for the Jews at Jerusalem ; at other times, for the captives 
in Babylon. These run on from the fourth chapter to the twenty- 
fourth, — which announces the destruction of Jerusalem by the 
Chaldeans. In the third division, we have the prophet's denunci- 
ations against the surrounding nations, — Moab, Tyre, Assyria, 
Egypt, and especially the spiteful Edomites. These predictions 
were all fulfilled in the conquests of Nebuchadnezzar. The last 
division contains predictions, highly symbolical, of the restoration 
of Israel, and of the church's triumphs and glories in the latter 
days. In this section, I include the last eight chapters, containing 
Ezekiel's vision of the city and temple to be rebuilt, which is to 
be taken, not literally, but symbolically, as setting forth the future 
glories and peace of Zion. 

S. — How are we to account for the restiveness and obstinacy of 
the Jews in Babylon, and for their strong expectations of a speedy 
return to Jerusalem ? 

F, — Under the reign of Zedekiah, which lasted eleven years, the 
Jews at Jerusalem and at Babylon began to take courage. They 
thought that the Chaldeans had done their worst, that they would 
not again invade Judea, or if they did, that Pharaoh would come 
forth with an army and conquer them. They were inclined to go 
on with their idolatries, and put their trust in Egypt. It was this 
feeling which led Zedekiah to throw off the yoke of Babylon, and 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 417 

form an alliance with Egypt, which ended in his destruction. This 
feeling, and the sins growing out of it, were sternly rebuked both 
by Jeremiah at Jerusalem, and by Ezekiel in Babylon — both lifting 
up their voices together, and pleading in vain. The people were 
bent upon their delusions, and would not be dissuaded, until the 
destruction came. 

aS*. — What have you to say as to the style of Ezekiel ? 

F. — It has been variously represented by critics. Except where 
it is obscured by symbols and allegories, it strikes me as very 
plain and forcible. Ezekiel speaks strongly, like a man in earnest, 
and when he has an unwelcome message to deliver, he does it 
tenderly but faithfully. He was bound to declare the whole 
counsel of God, whether men would hear, or forbear (Chap. ii. 5). 

aS'. — Do we know anything of Ezekiel's death? 

F. — If he was alive, he must have been an old man, when the 
decree of Cyrus for the restoration of Israel was promulged, and 
could not have returned With the exiles to Jerusalem. The 
probability is, that his bones, like those of Daniel, were laid in 
Babylon. 



CONVERSATION YI. 

PROPHETS IN JUDEA AFTER THE RESTORATION.— Haggai.— What is known 
concerning him. — Returns from captivity. — Zechariah. — Latter part of his book called 
in question. — His peculiarities. — Malachi. — Last of the prophets. — Date of his labors. 
— General character of this book of prophecy. 

HAGGAI. 

Son. — How much do we know of the prophet Haggai ? 

Father.- — No more than what may be gathered from the circum- 
stances in which he was placed, and the book which bears his 
name. In consequence of the decree of Cyrus, given iii the first 
year of his reign, permitting the Jews and Israelites to return to 
their own land, and rebuild their temple, and re-establish the 
worship of God, according to the laws and usages of their fathers, 
more than forty thousand of this people, under the leadership of 
Zerubbabel and of Joshua the high priest, went up together from 
Babylon to Jerusalem. Among this number, in all probability, 
were Haggai and Zechariah. The people entered at once upon their 
work, builded an altar, and laid the foundations of the new tem- 
ple. But they were soon interrupted by the death of Cyrus, and 
by the interference and complaints of the Samaritans, so that for 
the next sixteen years, under the reigns of Cambyses and Smerdis, 
almost nothing was done. But when Darius Hystaspis came tp the 
throne, he renewed the decree of Cyrus, and proffered to the Jews 
at Jerusalem his powerful assistance in carrying forward the AA^ork 
of the temple. At the same time Haggai and Zechariah came 
forward, in the name of the Lord, to rebuke the people for their 
backwardness in this work, and urge them forward in their duty. 
" Is it time for you to dwell in your ceiled houses, and this house 
be waste ? Go up to the mountain and bring wood, and build the 
house, and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith 
the Lord God" (Hag. i. 4, 8). 

S. — How long did Haggai continue in the prophetical office ? 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 419 

F. — We do not know. All that we have from him was deliv- 
ered in about three months. His first message is dated "in the 
second year of Hystaspis, in the sixth month, and the first day of 
the month" (Chap. i. 1). His second message is dated "in the 
seventh month, and the twenty-first day of the month " (Chap. ii. 
1). His third message bears date "the twenty-fourth day of the 
ninth month" (Chap. ii. 10). His fourth message has the same 
date (Chap. ii. 20). All these messages were delivered directly to 
Zerubbabel, but were intended for the ears and the benefit of the 
whole people. 

aS'. — And what was the result of all these encouragements? 

F. — Ezra hath told us : " The elders of the Jews builded and 
they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet, 
and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they builded the temple, 
and they finished it, according to the commandment of the God 
of Israel, and according to the commandment of Cyrus, and Darius, 
and Artaxerxes, kings of Persia. And the house was finished on 
the third day of the month Adar, which was in the sixth year of 
the reign of Darius Hystaspis" (Ezra vi. 14). Without doubt, 
Haggai was earnest and active in all these efforts, but we hear 
nothing further directly from him. He probably lived to see the 
new temple dedicated, and died there in the land of his fore- 
fathers. 

ZECHARIAH. 

aS*. — Is this prophet the Zechariah referred to by our Savior 
(Mat. xxiii. 35), as having been " slain between the temple and 
the altar?" 

F. — Probably not. There is no evidence that the prophet of 
whom we speak was slain in this wa}^ Besides, there is another 
Zechariah spoken of in the Old Testament, " who was slain be- 
tween the temple and the altar " (see 2 Chron. xxiv. 21). 

S. — But the Zechariah spoken of in the Chronicles was the son 
of Jehoiada, and not of Barachiah. 

F. — True ; but Jehoiada, like many other Jews, may have had 



420 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

two names. Thus Matthew was also called Levi, and Lebbeus, 
Thaddeus, and Simon, Cephas. So good old Jehoiada may have 
acquired the honorable name of Barachiah — " one who blesses 
God." We must make this supposition, or admit an error on the 
part of some old transcriber of Matthew's gospel. 

S. — But the declaration of our Savior implies that the Zechariah 
of whom he spake was one of the last of the prophets, or, at least, 
that his name stood among the last in the Jewish Bible. 

F. — And so it did. The second book of the Chronicles was the 
last book in the Bible that our Savior used, and is still last in our 
Hebrew Bibles. It was natural, therefore, for our Savior to con- 
trast the blood of righteous Abel, spoken of at the beginning of his 
Bible, with the blood of Zechariah spoken of at the end of it. 

S. — In the first verse of Zechariah, he is said to be the son of 
Barachiah, the son of Iddo the prophet. Whereas, in Ezra v. 1, he 
is spoken of as the son of Iddo. 

F. — It was common for the Jews, you know, va making out their 
genealogies, to substitute the name of the grandfather for that of 
the father, and the name of the grandchild for that of the child. 

aS'. — It seems that Zechariah and Haggai were united in their 
endeavors to urge forward the building of the temple. Did not 
Zechariah continue his prophetic labors longer than Haggai ? 

F. — He did; but how much longer we do not know ; since the 
latter part of Zechariah's prophecies are without dates. 

S. — Has not the authenticity of the latter part of Zecharmh's 
prophecy been called in question ? 

F. — It has; but I think without any sufficient reason. 

S. — Into how many parts may the prophecy of Zechariah be 
divided ? 

F. — Into four. The first part — the introduction — is embraced in 
the first six verses. The second part contains the visions of Zecha- 
riah, interpreted, in every case, by a ministering angel. These ex- 
tend from the introduction to the end of chapter sixth. These 
interpretations are, for the most part, encouraging and comforting 



i m 



I f 




CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 423 

to the restored Jews. The third part is included in chapters seven 
and eight. It seems that the Jews, during their exile in Babylon, 
had been in the habit of observing certain fasts, commemorative of 
sad events in the desolation of their city and country. But now, — 
as they had been restored to their own land, and the temple was 
being rebuilt, it was doubtful whether these fasts should be con- 
tinued. They consulted their prophets and priests on the subject ; 
and we have the answer of Zechariah in chapters seven and eight. 
By the mouth of his prophets God directs that the fasts be discon- 
tinued ; but with this answer are mingled various instructions and 
reproofs. The fourth part of the book consists of the remaining 
chapters which are without date. They contain denunciations upon 
some of the surrounding nations, as Syria, Tyre and the Philistines, 
and numerous promises of prosperity to Zion, to be accomplished 
in the latter days. We have, in these chapters, manifest predic- 
tions of the sufferings of Christ (Chap. xiii. 7), of the price to be 
paid for him (Chap. xi. 12, 13), and of his final coming, kingdom 
and glory (Chap. xiv). 

S. — Do we know anything further as to the personal history of 
Zechariah ? 

F. — He undoubtedly came from Babylon to Jerusalem, with his 
parents, in the first company of returned Jews, at the same time 
with Zerubbabel, Joshua, and Haggai. And as he is spoken of in his 
prophecy as a "young man " (Chap. ii. 4), he could have been little 
more than a child, at the time of the journey. We have no reliable 
account of his death. 

MALACHI. 

F. — The prophet Malachi — the last of the Hebrew prophets — 
resembles, in some respects, Elijah the Tishbite. He comes before 
us with his burden suddenly, we know not whence ; delivers his 
message with solemn earnestness ; reproves the hypocrisies and in- 
consistencies of the people; points forward to the glorious, yet in 
some respects dreadful, future ; and disappears as suddenly as he 
came. 



424 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

S. — Do we know definitely the time of his prophecy ? 

F. — We infer it with a good degree of certainty by comparing 
his prophecy with cotemporary history. The temple had now been 
built, which places Malachi subsequent to Haggai and Zechariah. 
The Jews had now a governor (Chap. i. 8), which places him before 
the death of Nehemiah. For after Nehemiah they had no governor 
sent from Persia. Then the crimes rebuked by Malachi are pre- 
cisely those which Nehemiah was laboring to correct. This prophet 
does not, like Haggai, reprove the people for neglecting to build 
the fallen temple, but for neglecting what appertained to the wor- 
ship of God in it. They did not bring in their tithes to the priests ; 
they offered the blind and the lame for sacrifice ; they had con- 
tracted foreign marriages ; in short, the offences which Malachi 
charges upon the Jews were precisely those which Nehemiah was 
laboring to correct ; which shows that they lived and wrought to- 
gether. 

aS'. — Why then does not Nehemiah make mention of Malachi ? 

F. — This was hardly to be expected; since, though they were 
both aiming at the same object, they were laboring in different 
fields, and by entirely different methods. Nehemiah was doing his 
work as a magistrate, and Malachi as a simple prophet of God. 
Besides, the book of Nehemiah does not profess to be a complete 
history of the times, but only a personal narrative of the acts of 
the author. 

S. — How long after Haggai and Zechariah may it be supposed 
that Malachi prophesied ? 

F. — Haggai commenced his labors about 520 years before Christ ; 
and if Malachi lived in the later times of Nehemiah, he was before 
Christ 420 years, making a difference of about one hundred years 
between them. 

*S'. — What is the general purport of this last prophecy of the Old 
Testament ? 

F. — In his first two chapters, Malachi is very severe upon the 
priests, who dishonored God, and disgraced themselves, by their 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 425 

negligence and hypocrisy. He reproves also the prevailing sins of 
the times, and the abuses which had crept in among the people. 
In the last two chapters he predicts the coming of the forerunner 
of Christ, and also of Christ himself. " The Lord whom ye seek 
shall come suddenly to his temple, even the Messenger of the cove- 
nant whom ye delight in. But who may abide the day of his 
coming, and who shall stand when he appeareth ? " (Chap. iii. 2.) 
The great Messenger of the covenant is coming, not to destroy the 
church of the Old Testament, but to purify it. " He will thoroughly 
purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner " (Matt. iii. 
12). As though conscious that he was to have no successors, Mal- 
achi closes his message with an exhortation and a promise. " Re- 
member the law of Moses, my servant, which I commanded unto 
him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and the judgments. 
Behold I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the 
great and dreadful day of the Lord ; and he shall turn the heart of 
the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their 
fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse." 

S. — Who reigned, at this time, over the Persian empire ? 

F. — Artaxerxes Longimanus, the husband of Esther. The sup- 
porter of Ezra and Nehemiah, and the liberal patron and helper of 
the Jews, was now dead, and the throne was occupied by Darius 
No thus, his son. By him,Nehemiah was retained in office at Jeru- 
salem, perhaps as long as he lived. The good governor, and Ezra, 
the learned scribe and priest, and Malachi, the last prophet, disap- 
pear from the sacred page together; and with them (with the 
exception of a few names in the genealogies) the canon of the Old 
Testament is sealed up. 



CONVERSATION YII. 

EIISTORY BETWEEN THE TWO TESTAMENTS.— Dark period of the church'© 

history. — ^Eall of the Persian Empire. — Alexander the Great. — His treatment of the 
Jews. — His remarkable dream. — Its results. — The request of the Jews. — Alexander's 
death. — Origin of the Septuagint. — The famous Alexandrian library. — The founder. — 
The revolt of the Maccabees. — Who they were. — The Roman sway commenced. — 
Herod*s shocking cruelty. — Origin of the Pharisees and Sadducees.— Their belief.— 
Coming of Christ. 

Father. — We have now come to the close of the Old Testament. 
We have spoken of its history, and other sacred writings ; also of 
the prophets which lived both before and after the captivity. From 
this point, we might appropriately pass over to the New Testament; 
but 1 have thought it might interest you, and the better prepare us 
for the times of Christ, to give a brief sketch of the intervening 
history, or so much of it as relates to the Jews. 

Svn. — Nothing could better please me than to follow you through 
this dark period of the church's history. At the close of the Old 
Testament, you told me that Darius Nothus, — son of the Artaxerxes, 
who married Esther, and commissioned Ezra and Nehemiah to be 
governors of Judea, — was on the throne. How many more kings 
reigned in Persia, and Avhen was the empire overthrown ? 

F. — Darius Nothus had four successors on the throne of Persia, 
the last of whom was Darius Codomanus. He was conquered 
by Alexander the Great, in the year before Christ, 331. With him 
the Persian empire ended, and the government of all central and 
western Asia fell into the hands of Alexander. 

aS'. — How did Alexander treat the Jews ? 

F. — In general, with great kindness. He was induced to this by 
a remarkable occurrence which took place at Jerusalem, and which 
it may be proper to relate. While Alexander was besieging Tyre, 
he suspected the Jews of favoring the Tyrians. So after the de- 
struction of Tyre, his intention was to perish or destroy Jerusalem. 
But God interposed, in a most remarkable manner for its deliver- 
ance. In a vision of the night, he directed Jaddua, the high priest, 




•!•■■■ • (?' 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 429 

not to fight with Alexander, but to go out to him in his pontifical 
robes, with the priests following in their proper attire, and all the 
people in white garments. Accordingly, Jaddua prepared to do as 
he was directed. The next day he went out of the city, attended by 
the priests and people in a long and sacred procession, and waited, 
in the most solemn manner, the coming of the king. As soon as 
Alexander saw him, he was struck with a profound astonishment 
and awe. He leaped from his chariot, and rushing forward, bowed 
down before the high priest and did him reverence, to the great sur- 
prise of his generals and of all who attended him. And when 
inquired of as to the reason of what he had done, he said that he 
did not so much honor the priest, as that Divine Being whose priest 
he was ; for, says he, " when I was at Dio, in Macedonia, and was 
there deliberating with myself how I should carry on this war 
against the Persians, and was much in doubt as to the issue of the 
undertaking, this very person, and in this very habit, appeared to 
me in a dream, encouraged me to lay aside all distrust about the 
matter, and pass boldly over into Asia, promising me that God 
would be my guide in the expedition, and give me the empire of 
the Persians. Wherefore, seeing this sacred personage, and know- 
ing him to be the same that appeared to me in my own country, I 
feel assured that this present war is under the direction of the 
Almighty, and he will conduct it to a happy issue." Having thus 
said, Alexander kindly embraced the high priest, went with him 
inta Jerusalem, and offered sacrifices in the temple.* It was on 
this occasion that Jaddua read to him those portions of the book of 
Daniel, in which it was predicted that the Persian empire should 
be overthrown by a Grecian king. By these Alexander was still 
further assured that he should succeed in his conflict with Persia : 
and, at his departure, he encouraged the Jews to ask any favor of 
him which they desired. Whereupon they requested that they 
might enjoy the freedom of their own country, their laws, and 



*Josephus Anti'q. Book ii. Chap. 8. 



430 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

religion, and might be exempted, every seventh year, from paying 
tribute ; because, in that year, according to their law, they neither 
sow nor reap. This favor Alexander readily granted, and treated 
them, ever afterwards, with distinguished favor. 

aS". — How long did Alexander live after this ? 

F. — Only about six years. He died from excessive drinking, in 
Babylon, in the year 323 before Christ, when his vast empire was 
divided into four parts, and four of his more distinguished generals 
reigned over them. Ptolemy had Egypt, Arabia, and Palestine ; 
Cassander had Macedon and Greece ; Lysimachus had Thrace, 
Bythinia, and some other provinces in North-western Asia; and 
Seleucus, had all the rest. And herein was fulfilled several of 
Daniel's most remarkable predictions respecting "the king of 
Grecia " and his successors.* 

S. — With which of these four kings did the Jews come most 
frequently in contact. 

F. — With Seleucus and Ptolemy and their successors ; or, in 
other words, with the kings of Syria and Egypt. Jerusalem lay 
between their dominions, and in their frequent assaults upon each 
other, the Jews suffered greatly from both. Sometimes they were 
subject to the king of Syria, and then to the king of Egypt, and 
were often the prize of victory one way or the other. 

S — Under which of the kings of Egypt was the Old Testament 
translated into Greek? 

F. — Under the second of the Ptolemies — Ptolemy Philadelphus, 
about 250 years before Christ. This translation is commonly 
called the Septuagint. It was generally used among the Jews, 
wherever the Greek language was spoken. It was much used in 
Palestine in the days of our Savior, and is frequently quoted bj' 
him and the Apostles. 

S. — Under which of the Ptolemies was the famous Alexandrian 
Library commenced. 



See Dan. viii. 8, 21. Chap, xi 3, 4. 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 431 

F. — Under the first and best of them, Ptolemy Soter ; but was 
greatly increased by his son, Ptolemy Philadelphus, and his suc- 
cessors. 

S. — Who were the Maccabees, and what induced them to revolt 
against the Syrians ? 

F. — The Maccabees were the seven sons of a venerable priest, 
Matthias, all of them valiant men, and zealous, like their father, 
for the law of their God. Their revolt was brought about by the 
intolerable persecutions of Antiochus Epiphanes, one of the vilest 
and most degraded of the Syrian kings. In addition to all his 
other abominations, he had published what may be called, in mod- 
ern phrase, an act of uniformity. He had commanded all the 
people throughout his dominions, under the severest penalties, to 
renounce their former religious rites and usages, and to conform, 
in this respect, to the religion of the state. This decree, though 
couched in general terms, was aimed particularly at the Jews, and 
the king was determined to execute it upon them. He Avas re- 
solved, either to convert them to his religion, or to cut them all off. 

It was in opposition to this murderous decree, that Matthias 
and his sons raised the standard of revolt. They retired, at first, 
into the mountains, where they were followed by many others. 
Having collected around them a little army, they came out of their 
fastnesses, and went round the cities of Judah, pulling down 
heathen altars, demolishing images, circumcising the children, and 
destroying persecutors and apostates wherever they could be 
found ; and having obtained copies of the law, they set u^^ the 
worship of the synagogue as it was before. Antiochus was soon 
apprised of what they were doing, and sent a great army into 
Palestine to put down the revolt, and destroy its leaders. This 
army Judas Maccabeus met and conquered, and took much spoil. 
And thus it was with army after army which was sent from 
Antioch to disperse and vanquish the rebellious Jews. They were 
destroyed by Judas, or driven back, and his cause was strength- 
ened from day to day. 

27 



432 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

Having made themselves masters of the country, Judas and his 
followers resolved to go up to Jerusalem, purify the temple, and 
consecrate it anew to the service of the Lord. And when every- 
thing had been set in order there, they appointed a day in which 
the purified temple should be dedicated. This dedication occurred 
about the time of the winter solstice. It was observed ever after- 
wards in Judah; and one of these festivals, — perhaps more than 
one, was honored, by our Savior, with his presence (John x. 22). 

aS*. — Wliat was the character of Judas Maccabeus ? 

F. — That he was wise in council, and powerful — all but invin- 
cible — in action, his unparalleled successes and achievements 
declare. But he possessed, Ave think, something better than all 
this. He had a steady faith and trust in God ; a zeal like that of 
Phineas, his great progenitor; a feeling, all the while, that he 
was doing the Lord's work, and that the God of Israel w^as with 
him. It was this wdiich nerved his arm for the deadly conflict, 
and led him on from victory to victory. It will be said, perhaps, 
that he was a man of blood; and so he was. But then his wars 
were, all of them, strictly defensive. He Avas placed in circum- 
stances where he must fight, or die ; and if he died, to all human 
appearance, the cause which he supported must die with him. 
His battles Avere all of them begun Avith praj'er, and ended Avith 
thanksgiving. The glory of his achieA'ements, he felt and acknoAA^l- 
edged, Avere due^ only to the Lord. In the success of his battles, 
in the number of his Adctories against overAvhelming odds, Judas 
Maccabeus Avas never exceeded by any Avarrior. His history 
belongs not merely to the Jcavs, but like that of Moses, and 
Joshua, and David, and Nehemiah, is>the property uf the whole 
church of God. 

aS'. — How came this family of warriors and conquerors to be called 
Maccabees ? 

F. — Upon their standard Avas Avritten this inspiriting motto. Mi 
Canoka Baalim Jehovah — " Who is like unto thee among the gods, 
Jehovah?" (Ex. xv. 11). The first letters of these four Hebrew 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 433 



words, Mem, Kciph, Beth, Yod, being conjoined into one word, make 
Macahi. Hence, those who fought under this sacred standard were 
called Maccabees. 

S. — How long did the Maccabees govern the Jews ? 

F. — For several generations. They were often troubled and 
sometimes severely threatened by the Syrian kings. To avoid dis- 
turbances of this kind, they were induced, at length, to place them- 
selves and their country under the protection of the Romans. It 
was the Maccabees who introduced the Roman power into Pales- 
tine ; and when once introduced, it continued to increase, here as 
elsewhere, until it became supreme. Herod was made a tributary 
king by the Romans, and he reigned over Judea nearly forty years, 
even unto the coming of Christ. 

S. — Who was Herod? and what was his character? 

F. — He was an Idumean by birth, but had made a profession of 
the Jew's religion. He loved power, and was altogether unscrupu- 
lous as to the means of securing it. He was suspicious, jealous, 
fond of magnificence and display, blood-thirsty and cruel to the last 
degree. The murders which he committed in his own family, — to 
say nothing of the thousands whom he sacrificed out of it, — are full 
proof of this. And yet he may be said, in the common acceptation 
of the terms, — to have been a lucky man. In repeated instances, 
he seemed to be on the very brink of ruin ; and then he escaped 
and rose to power, when he had the least reason to expect it. Nor 
was he without some redeeming qualities. He knew how to show 
kindness to his people, and he often did it, when he could do it 
with safety and advantage to himself. 

His cruelty and selfishness were unabated to the last. This is 
evident from his murder of the children at Bethlehem. It is still 
more evident in the orders which he issued respecting his own 
death. Well knowing how much the Jews hated him, and how 
glad they would be to be rid of him, he summoned together some of 
the principal men of the nation, just before his death, confined them 
in the hippodrome, and gave strict orders to his attendants to 



434 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 



massacre them all, so soon as he had breathed his last, — that so 
there might be a mourniDg when he was gone. But this cruel 
order was not executed. 

aS'. — Were there any pious people in Israel in these degenerate 
days, immediately preceding the coming of Christ ? 

F. — Undoubtedly there were. x4ls in the days of Ahab, God re- 
served to himself seven thousand men who had not bowed the knee 
to Baal, so, in these times, there was undoubtedly a remnant. 
Down in the humbler walks of life, away from the tumult and the 
strife of kings, we may hope there were many who loved the God 
of Israel, and served him in sincerity and truth. Here were good 
Zechariah and Elizabeth, the father and mother of John the Baptist. 
Here, too, were Simeon and Anna, who were present in the temple 
when the infant Savior was brought there, "to do for him after the 
custom of the law " (Luke ii. 25-38). Without doubt, there were 
many others who served God according to the light and privileges 
which they enjoyed ; and though their names are not known to us, 
they are securely written in the Lamb's book of life. 

S. — There were sects among the Jcavs in the time of Christ, which 
must have originated before his birth ; can you tell us when and 
where they had their origin ? 

F. — The principal sects were the Pharisees and the Sadducees. 
The Pharisees were an ancient sect, dating back almost to the time 
of Alexander the Great. They Avere not called Pharisees, however, 
until the time of the Maccabees. The}^ are supposed to have 
derived their name from the Hebrew word Pharos^ which signifies 
to separate ; because they separated themselves from others, who 
did not receive their doctrines, and come up to their standard of 
life. Many of them were in the Maccabean armies and fought 
valiantly for the God of Israel. The Pharisees were a popular sect, 
who carried with them, not only the scribes and men learned in the 
law, but the great mass of the common people. They received as 
of Divine authority, not only the books of the law, but all the 
books of the Old Testament, and with them the traditions of the 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 435 

elders. They held to the doctrine of the resurrection, and to a 
future state of rewards and punishments. In practice, they were 
strict formalists, who tithed their mint, and anise, and cummin ; 
talked much about religion, and made extraordinary pretensions to 
sanctity. 

The Sadducees originated at about the same time wdth the 
Pharisees, and were their opposites in most particulars. They took 
their name from Sadoc, their founder. He taught that there are no 
future rewards and punishments, and no future life. The Sadducees 
discarded not only a future life, but all tradition, and all the sacred 
books except those of Moses. These men were the liberalists of 
their times. They were never numerous, but embraced many of 
the higher and wealthier families among the Jews. 

S. — Was there not a general expectation of the coming of Christ 
at the time of his appearance ? 

F. — Undoubtedly there was, and some of the surrounding nations 
participated in the same hope. The learned Jews knew that the 
seventy prophetic weeks of Daniel w^ere about to close, and that the 
great Leader and Light of Israel would soon come. 

God had long been preparing the way for the coming of Christ, 
and he made his appearance in the best, the appointed time. The 
world was now ready for him, and were expecting him. Other 
experiments had been tried for the recovery of lost men, but had 
failed. In all that sages had taught, and poets sung, and priests 
disclosed, and oracles muttered, there was no relief. Foreign 
religions had been introduced, magicians and astrologers had been 
multiplied ; still the darkness and misery increased. It was just in 
this crisis of the world's history, when all experiments had been 
tried and failed, and hope was giving place to black despair, that 
the Light of the world commenced his shining ; the " Desire of all 
nations " came. 



THIRD BOOK. 

FROM THE COMING OF CHRIST TO THE END. 



CONVERSATION I. 

LIFE OF CHRIST.— Year of birth uncertain.— Singular tradition of the Jews.— The 
seven thousand years. — The wise men. — The star in the east. — What it was. — Jesus 
among the doctors. — John the Baptist. — Place where Christ Avas baptized. — First mira- 
cle. — The sermon on the Mount. — John beheaded to please the daughter of Herod's 
wife. 

Son. — Do we know the time of our Savior's birth? 

Father. — We do not know the precise year, — much less the day 
in the year. According to the common reckoning, — which was fixed 
by Dionysius Exiguus and one of the Popes in the sixth century, — 
he was born in the year of the world 4004 ; but his birth was several 
years earlier than this. He was certainly born before the death of 
Herod; and Herod died in the year of the world, 4001. Also 
Jesus was about thirty years of age, in the fifteenth year of the 
reign of Tiberius Caesar (Luke iii. 1) ; and this would fix his birth 
in the four thousandth year of the world. And the same conclu- 
sion is reached by another fact mentioned in the Scriptures : The 
enrollment or taxing, spoken of by Luke (Chap. ii. 1-5), was made 
when Cyrenias was first governor of Sj^ria, — at which time our 
Savior was born ; but this again was the four thousandth j^ear of 
the world. The probability therefore is, that our Savior was born 
in tiie year of the world 4000 ; and this agrees with an old tradi- 
tion of the Jews, that the world was to stand seven thousand 
years ; two thousand of which were to be before the law ; tAvo thou- 
sand under the law, and two thousand under the Messiah, — after 
which was to follow the Sabbatical millennium, or the thousand 
years of rest. Respecting the month and day of our Savior's 
birth, we are left wholly to conjecture. The disagreement of the 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 437 

early fathers shows that the day was not celebrated in the Apos- 
tolic age. 

S. — What religious rites were performed for our Savior soon 
after his birth? 

F. — On the eighth day after his birth, our Savior was circum- 
cised and received his name — the same that had before been given 
him by the angel. Thirty-three days subsequent to this, when his 
mother's purification was accomplished according to the law (Lev. 
xii. 3), he was taken by his parents to Jerusalem, and presented in 
the temple before the Lord. A sacrifice was offered for him — *' a 
pair of turtle-doves, or two ^^oung pigeons " — which was all that 
the straitened circumstances of his parents enabled them to bring. 
It was at this time that good old Simeon took him into his arms 
and blessed God on his account. Pious Anna was also present to 
give thanks because of him, and to speak of him to all those who 
dwelt at Jerusalem. 

S. — Where was Jesus and his parents, when visited by the wise 
men of the East? 

F, — They were at Bethlehem, to which place they had returned 
after their visit to Jerusalem. These wise men Avere probably 
magicians from northern Arabia, or from Persia. The star which 
guided them was a meteor providentially, perhaps miraculously, 
prepared and sent. Their visit to the holy family was opportune 
every way. It was not only an honor to the Savior, and a testi- 
mony to his Messiahship, but it furnished the means of his sub- 
sistence, at least for a time. Without the rich presents which they 
brought, his parents might not have been able to carry him into 
Egypt, and support him there, and thus elude the blood-thirsty 
Herod. 

S. — How long did the holy family remain in Egypt ? 

F. — We are not informed ; but certainly until they heard of 
the death of Herod, which occurred, probably, the following year. 
When admonished to return into the land of Israel, their first 
thought was to go and reside at Bethlehem. But when they found 



438 CONVEBSAIIOXS ON THE BIBLE. 

that Archelaus, Avho inherited all the cruelty of his father Herod, 
reigned in Judea, they were afraid to go there, and concluded to 
return to their old home at Nazareth. And here they dwelt, proba- 
bly, as long as Joseph lived, — until near the commencement of our 
Savior's public ministry. 

S. — When do we next hear of Jesus ? 

F. — When he went up to Jerusalem, with his parents, at the age 
of twelve years. The males in Israel were required to go up to 
Jerusalem, to the great festivals, three times in a year. The more 
devout women, though exempt by law from regular attendance, 
usually accompanied their husbands on these occasions. Doubtless 
the parents of Jesus had been often to Jerusalem, during his 
younger years; but at the age of twelve they took him with 
them ; for such was the custom of the feast. In the Jewish church, 
children were not allowed to go to the Passover earlier than this. 
But at the age of twelve, they were brought to the temple, where 
a sacrifice was offered, and some other initiatory rites were per- 
formed ; after which they were allowed to eat of the Passover, 
and to participate in the other festivals of the church. 

S. — What took place on the journey back from Jerusalem ? 

F. — When the feast was ended, and Joseph and Mary com- 
menced their journey homeward, Jesus was not with them. He 
tarried behind at Jerusalem. And when they returned for him, 
to their astonishment they found him among the doctors in the 
temple, both hearing them, and asking them questions. 

From Jerusalem, Jesus returned with his parents to Nazareth, 
and was subject unto them, and labored with them to procure a 
subsistence. He was not only the son of a carpenter, but in one 
instance is called a carpenter (Mark vi. 3) ; which implies that he 
labored with his reputed father. 

S. — How much do we know of the character and conduct of 
Jesus, for the next eighteen years ? 

F. — Very little. Without doubt, his life was blameless, dutiful, 
holy, perfect. Luke tells us that '' he was strong in spirit, filled 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 439 

with wisdom, and that the grace of God was upon him." He 
increased, not only in stature, but in wisdom, and in favor with 
God and with men. 

*S'. — Where was John, the forerunner of Christ, at this time ? 

F. — He was leading a solitary, contemplative life in the deserts 
of Judea. His parents, who were old at his birth, were probably 
dead. When John had arrived at the age of thirty — the time for 
entering upon the more public services of religion — he commenced 
preaching and baptizing, first in the hill country of Judea, but 
afterwards in the neighborhood of the Jordan. His preaching pro- 
duced a gieat sensation, and multitudes of all ages and classes 
flocked to hear him, and to receive his baptism. Among those 
who came, was Jesus of Nazareth. He had now arrived at the age 
of thirty, being six months younger than John. He was about to 
enter upon his public labors ; and though he had no need of bap- 
tism in token of repentance, or of spiritual purification, yet, as 
Moses had enjoined a lustration for the priests before entering 
upon their public duties, he chose to follow them in this, and thus 
" fulfill all righteousness " (Matt. iii. 15). 

S. — Had Jesus and John been previously acquainted? 

F. — It seems they had not. Though relatives on their mothers' 
side, they had rarely, if ever, met. John says of Jesus expressly : 
" I knew him not." But though John had no previous acquaint- 
ance with Jesus, his true character w^as soon revealed. When 
John saw the heavens open to him at his baptism, and saw the 
Spirit descending on him like a dove, and heard that memorable 
voice : " This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased," he 
could not doubt. He knew that he had seen and baptized the 
promised Messiah — the Lamb of God. 

aS'. — Where did the baptism of our Lord occur ? 

F. — At Bethabara, on the east bank of the Jordan. It was a 
common fording-place, near Jericho, about tAventy miles east of 
Jerusalem, — near the spot where the Israelites passed over the 
Jordan, when they entered Canaan. 



440 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

S. — Where did our Savior go, immediately after his baptism ? 

F. — He retired into the desert, west of the Jordan, where he 
remained, fasting, praying, communing with God and his own 
spirit, forty days. It w^as here that he was tempted of the devil. 

S. — On leaving the desert, did Jesus return to John ? 

F. — He did ; at which time John again bore testimony, in the 
most solemn terms, to his Messiahship. He here made the ac- 
quaintance of several persons, who were afterwards his Apostles; 
such as Andrew and Peter, Philip and Nathaniel, and the two 
sons of Zebedee. 

S. — Where did Jesus now go ? 

F. — He went into Galilee to meet his mother. His reputed 
father, it is likely, was no longer living. In company with his 
mother, he attended a wedding at Cana in Galilee, where he 
turned water into wine. This is spoken of as the first of his mir- 
acles. After this, he went to Capernaum, and soon w^ent up to 
Jerusalem to the Passover. 

S. — How long was our Savior's public ministry, and how many 
Passovers did it include ? 

F. — It included four Passovers, and continued between three 
and four j'ears. The one at which we have arrived was the first ; 
besides this, he attended the second and the fourth, but not the 
third. 

S. — What did our Savior do at Jerusalem at this first Passover ? 

F. — He undertook and accomj)lished the difficult work of purg- 
ing the temple. He did the same again, as we shall see, near the 
close of his public ministry. He drove out those from the courts 
of the temple who sold oxen, sheep, and doves for sacrifice. He 
poured out the changers' money, overthrew their tables, and told 
them not to make his Father's house a house of merchandise. 

S. — Who visited our Savior, at this time, for the purpose of in- 
quiry and conversation ? 

F. — Nicodemus, a member of the Sanhedrim, and a ruler of the 
Jews. He came to Jesus by night and said unto him, " We know 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 441 

that thou art a teacher sent from God ; for no man can do these 
miracles that thou doest, except God be with him." Our Savior 
seized the opportunity to converse with Nicodemus, and delivered 
to him a most important discourse. Perhaps he never gave utter- 
ance to so much solemn gospel truth, in so few words, as an this 
occasion. Nor were his instructions lost upon the mind of the 
ruler. We find Nicodemus afterwards interposing his good offices 
in favor of Jesus ; and when he had expired on the cross, Nico- 
demus assisted in taking down the body, and brought a hundred 
pounds weight of myrrh and aloes for the purpose of embalming it, 

S. — Did our Savior remain long in Jerusalem after the Passover ? 

F. — He continued in the towns and villages of Judea for a time, 
where he preached and his disciples baptized ; these baptisms seem 
to have been of the same nature as those of John — not a proper 
Christian ordinance, but an impressive rite, designed to prepare the 
way for the full introduction of the Messiah's kingdom. 

S. — Where was John at this time ? 

F. — He had removed from Bethabara, and was baptizing at Enon, 
a place on the west side of the Jordan, about twenty miles south 
of the sea of Galilee. He here bore a new testimonj' to the Mes- 
siahship of Jesus, and exhorted his folloAvers to put their trust in 
him : "He must increase, but I must decrease. He that believeth 
on the Son hath everlasting life ; but he that believeth not the Son 
shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him." John 
was now in the dominions of Herod Antipas, tetrarch of Perea 
and Galilee. Herod, for a time, Avas deeply interested in him, 
went often to hear him, and was led to attempt some reformation of 
life. But when John had reproved him for his adultery and incest 
in cohabiting with his brother's wife, the king's pride was wounded, 
his anger was kindled, and he shut up the reformer in prison ; and 
here John remained, in the dungeons of Machaerus unto the day of 
his death. 

S. — On leaving Judea, where did our Savior go ? 

F. — When Jesus heard of the imprisonment of John, he left 



442 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

Judea and retired into Galilee. On his way, he passed through 
Samaria, and had that interesting conversation with the Samaritan 
woman, recorded in the fourth chapter of John. While in Galilee, 
our Savior visited Nazareth, where he had beeii brought up, and 
where he had spent the greater portion of his life. He went into 
the synagogue, as his custom was, on the Sabbath day, and there 
read and expounded the Scriptures, At first, the people heard him 
with admiration, but as he proceeded to apply the truth more par- 
ticularly to their case, their admiration was turned into wrath, and 
they madly attempted to take his life. 

aS'. — How was our Savior occupied, during this visit to Galilee? 

F. — He preached in their synagogues, healed the sick, procured 
the miraculous draught of fishes, and summoned Andrew and Peter, 
James and John, and Matthew the publican to leave their custom- 
ary employments, and become his ministers. The fame of him was 
at this time so great, that multitudes continually thronged him, 
and sometimes hindered him in his work. To avoid them, he left 
Capernaum and went into the country, preaching in the synagogues 
throughout all Galilee. It was during this tour, that he delivered 
that most remarkable of all Divine or human productions — the Ser- 
mon on the Mount. In labors such as have been described, — teach- 
ing, preaching, performing miracles, going about doing good, — our 
Savior had filled up the year. The time had come for another 
Passover, when he went up to Jerusalem (John y. 1). 

S. — Has there not been some dispute on the question, whether 
the feast spoken of by John was the Passover ? 

F, — There has ; and this is really a very important question. 
For on the decision of it depends, whether our Savior's public min- 
istry included four Passovers, or only two; whether it continued 
three years and a half, or only one and a half. I agree with the 
most approved commentators, that this feast was the Passover, and 
that his ministry included four Passovers. I find it impossible to 
harmonize all the events of his public life, and crowd them into the 
short space of a year and a half. 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 443 

aS'. — Our Savior, then, went up to Jerusalem to the feast ; what 
miracle was performed by him soon after he arrived there ? 

F. — The healing of the poor man at the pool of Bethesda. This 
man had been bowed do^vn with infirmity thirty-eight years. 
Jesus had compassion on him in his helpless condition, and said ; 
" Rise, take up thy bed and walk," and immediately he was made 
whole, took up his bed, and went his way. As it was the Sab- 
bath when this was done, the Jews were greatly excited, and 
charged both the healed man and Jesus with violating the Sab- 
bath. This led to a long discourse from our Savior, in which he 
asserts his Divine authority, and vindicates himself from the 
charge which had been urged against him. 

S. — How long did our Savior remain at Jerusalem ? 

F. — But a short time. On his return towards Galilee, he had 
repeated discussions with the Jews, who continued to accuse him 
of violating the Sabbath. Unable to meet him in argument, they 
took counsel together to destroy his life. But he withdrew him- 
self from them, and we soon find him, where he had so often been, 
by the sea of Galilee. 

S. — This was a long visit to Galilee. How was our Savior 
occupied ? 

F. — In Galilee and parts adjacent, sometimes on one side of the 
sea, and sometimes on the other, and sometimes sailing and even 
walking upon its surface, our Savior filled up the next year of his 
public ministr}^ It was a busy and most im23ortant year. He was 
everj^where surrounded by wondering multitudes, whom he care- 
fully instructed, whom he miraculously fed, and whose sick he 
healed. He raised the dead son of the widow of Nain ; cast out 
many devils ; uttered some of his most interesting parables, as 
that of the sower, and of the tares in the field; and performed 
other preaching tours through the cities and villages of Galilee. 
It was during this year that he appointed his twelve Apostles, 
and sent them forth with the glad news of salvation to the lost 
sheep of the house of Israel. When our Savior had come down 



444 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

from the mountain, — where he had spent the whole previous night 
in prayer, and where he had appointed his twelve Apostles, — he 
found a vast multitude waiting for him, to whom he repeated, 
with some variations, a considerable part of the Sermon on the 
Mount. 

aS*. — Do not some interpreters make this the identical Sermon on 
the Mount ? (Luke vi. 20-40.) 

F. — They do ; but I cannot be of this opinion ; and for the 
following reasons : 1. The sermon in Matthew was delivered on 
a mountain, but this on a plain. 2. The sermon in Matthew was 
delivered the year previous to the calling and commissioning of 
the Apostles, but this in Luke immediately after their call. 3. 
The two discourses, though containing many similar passages, are 
very unlike. The one in Matthew is four times as long as that in 
Luke, and yet the one in Luke has several expressions which do 
not occur in Matthew. The structure of the sentences, and the 
connections in which they stand, are also different. In short, the 
discourse in Luke is just what it purports to be, — a repetition in 
part, with occasional omissions and alterations, of the sermon in 
Matthew. And those who know the excellence of this sermon, 
will not wonder or regret that our Savior thought proper to 
repeat some parts of it. When ministers preach as well as this, 
we will consent that they repeat their sermons as often as they 
please. 

S. — To what did the Pharisees ascribe some of the miracles 
which Christ now performed ? 

F. — To diabolical influence. " He casteth out devils by Beelze- 
bub, the prince of the devils." Our Lord refuted the objection, 
and solemnly warned them against such language. It constituted 
the sin against the Holy Ghost — a sin for which there was no 
forgiveness. 

aS'. — What message did our Savior receive at this time from 
John the Baptist, who was still in prison ? 

F. — John sent two of his disciples to Jesus, saying, " Art thou 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 445 

he that should come, or look we for another?" Without directly 
answering the question, our Savior said to those who came, " Go 
and tell John what things ye have seen and heard: The blind 
receive their sight, the lame w\alk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf 
hear, the dead are raised up, and to the poor the gospel is 
preached. And blessed is he that shall not be offended," stumbled^ 
"■ in me." 

^._What befell John shortly after this? 

F. — He had been for months in close confinement, but his end 
was now come. To gratify his adulterous wife and her wicked 
daughter, Herod sent and beheaded him in prison. But the con- 
science of the tyii-ant seems not to have been satisfied ; for when 
he heard of the miracles of Jesus, he was alarmed under the appre- 
hension that John was risen from the dead, and might stand up to 
avenge his injuries and wrongs. 



CONYEKSATIOISr II. 

LIFE OF CHRIST CONTINUED.— Miracles of Jesus.— His journeys.— His approach- 
ing end. — His transfiguration. — Paying tribute. — Seventy preachers sent out. — Raising 
the dead. — Endeavors to entrap the Savior. — The rich man and Lazarus. — Incidents 
in the ministry of Jesus. 

Son. — We have now arrived at another Passover — the third 
which occurred during our Savior's ministry. Why did not Jesus 
go up to Jerusalem to celebrate it ? 

Father. — The reason is assigned by John. " He would not walk 
in Jewry, because the Jews sought to kill him " (John vii. 1). 
Instead of going southward to Jerusalem, he took the opportunity 
to travel in the north country, and proceeded even to the borders 
of Tyre and Sidon. And here he found a Syro-Phoenician woman 
whose daughter was possessed with a devil ; and having conversed 
with the afflicted mother, and sufficiently tried and tested her 
faith, he healed her daughter. This is the only miracle, of which 
we have any knowledge, which our Savior performed upon a 
Gentile. 

S. — On his return from Syria to Galilee, how was our Lord 
occupied ? 

F. — He was surrounded, as usual, by a great multitude, whom he 
miraculously fed, a second time, with a few loaves and fishes. He 
tarried in Galilee but a short time, when he took a journey to 
Csesarea Philippi, in the north-easterly part of Palestine. He had 
here a season of retirement with his disciples. He prayed with 
them, and entered into conversation with them saying: "Whom 
do men say that I am ? " They answered and said, " Some say that 
you are John the Baptist ; some that you are Elias ; and some that 
you are Jeremias, or one of the old prophets risen from the dead." 
" But whom," said Jesus, " do ye say that I am ? " Peter answered, 
'' Thou art the Christy the Son of the living God." For this noble 
confession, our Savior blessed Peter and said, '' Thou art Peter, 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 447 

and on this rock " — this foundation truth which you have uttered 
— " I will build my church ; and the gates of hell shall not prevail 
against it." Our Savior next proceeded to instruct his disciples in 
regard to his approaching sufferings and death ; when Peter dis- 
covered how little he understood, as yet, the nature of the gospel. 
He took his master aside and began to rebuke him, saying, " Be it 
far from thee, Lord. This suffering and death shall not be unto 
thee." Our Savior now rebuked Peter with as much earnestness 
as before he had commended him : " Get thee behind me, Satan ; 
thou art an offense unto me ; thou relisheth not the things that be 
of God, but such as be of men." 

aS'. — Where did our Savior's transfiguration take place ? 

F. — It was during this retirement in the northern part of Galilee. 
He took Peter and James and John, and went up into a mountain 
with them for prayer ; and as he prayed, he was transfigured before 
them. The form of his countenance and of his whole appearance 
was suddenly and gloriously changed; and there appeared unto 
them Moses and Elias, talking with Jesus, in regard to his approach- 
ing sufferings and death. They heard also a voice from heaven 
saying, '^ This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased ; hear 
ye him." This whole scene Avas calculated, and, vv^ithout doubt, de- 
signed to impress upon the disciples that great cardinal truth which 
they were so slow^ to learn, that Christ must suffer and die for 
sinners. 

S. — From northern Galilee, our Savior and his disciples returned 
to Capernaum : What took place there ? 

F. — It was here that the collectors of tribute came to Peter and 
said, '' Doth not your Master pay tribute ? " Peter answered that 
he did. When our Savior met Peter, he showed him that the col- 
lectors had no right to exact tribute of him. " Nevertheless," said 
he, " that we may not offend them, go to the sea, and cast in thy 
hook ; and in the mouth of the fish that first cometh up, thou shalt 
find a piece of money," a thaler ; " that take and pay your tribute 
and mine." 

28 



448 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

S. — When were the seventy preachers sent out ? 

F. — It was during this visit to Capernaum. Intending soon to 
leave Galilee, our Lord appointed other seventy, besides the twelve 
apostles, and sent them forth, two and two, into all the cities and 
villages where he expected soon to come. He gave them instruc- 
tions very similar to those which he had given to the twelve ; and 
concluded hy saying, " He that heareth you, heareth me ; and he 
that despiseth you, despiseth me, and him that sent me." It is not 
likely, however, that these seventy, like the apostles, were intended 
to be a permanent body of missionaries. They were appointed for 
a particular purpose, which they soon accomplished, and we hear no 
more of them in the Scriptures. 

S. — The feast of tabernacles was now at hand : Did our Savior 
attend it ? 

F. — He did. He repaired to Jerusalem rather privately ; but 
as soon as he arrived, he went boldly into the temple and taught. 
He soon came in conflict with the prejudices and the hostility of 
the Jews. They charged him with having a devil ; and he charged 
them with plotting against his life. The Pharisees and chief priests 
sent officers to take him ; but they returned without him, saying, 
" Never man spake like this man." 

It was at this time that the Jews brought before him an adulter- 
ous woman for judgment, thinking that, whethej he cleared or con- 
demned her, they should find an accusation against him. But he 
managed to convict them rather than the woman, and thej slunk 
aAvay confounded from his presence (John viii. 11). 

It was at this time, also, that our Lord made that visit to his 
friends at Bethany, of which we have an account in the tenth chap- 
ter of Luke. Martha " was cumbered about much serving ; " but 
" Mary sat at the feet of Jesus to hear his words." For this, Martha 
was slightly reproved, but Mary was commended, "• Mary hath 
chosen that good part which shall not be taken from her." 

Our Savior continued to teach in the temple, holding up the light 
of truth, and having frequent altercation with those that rejected 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 449 

it, till the Jews became so much exasperated, that they took up 
atones to stone him. But he went out of the temple, and escaped 
^Jieir hands. 

S. — Our Savior was noAV to make his last visit to Galilee : What 
took place on the way ? 

F. — He had much interesting conversation v^ith his disciples. 
He instructed and encouraged them in the duty of prayer, and 
gave them an abbreviated form of the Lord's prayer (Luke xi. 3). 
He cautioned them against hypocrisy, and strengthened them against 
the fear of man by the promise of the Holy Spirit. He exhorted 
them to continual watchfulness in expectation of his coming, and 
of the account they must render, at the last, for all their privileges. 

At this time, one came to Christ, and told him of the slaughter 
of the Galileans at Jerusalem, whose blood Pilate had mingled with 
their sacrifices. Perhaps this was said in hope that he would 
denounce either the cruelty of Pilate, or the weakness of the Gali- 
leans, in either of which cases they might bring him into trouble. 
But he made the fact which had been reported to him the occasion 
of a most solemn call to repentance. " Except ye repent, ye shall 
all likewise perish." 

aS'. — On his arrival in Galilee, what miracle of healing was per- 
formed. 

F. — As he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath 
day, he saw there a poor woman who had been bowed down with an 
infirmity eighteen years, and could not lift up herself ; and Jesus 
said unto her, "Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity." And 
immediately she rose up and glorified God. But the ruler of the 
synagogue was filled with indignation, and said, "Tliere are six 
days in which men ought to work ; in them, therefore, come and be 
healed, and not on the Sabbath day." To him our Savior replied 
with unwonted severity, " Thou hypocrite, doth not each of you, 
on the Sabbath day, loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead 
him away to watering ? And ought not this woman, being a daugh- 
ter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound these eighteen years, to be 



450 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

loosened from her bond on the Sabbath day ? " And all his adver- 
saries were ashamed. 

During this visit to Galilee, our Savior was invited, by one of 
the chief Pharisees, to dine with him. And while they sac at meat, 
one of the company said, " Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the 
kingdom of God." This led our Lord to utter the parable of the 
great supper from which those who were first bidden excused 
themselves, but which was furnished with guests from the high- 
ways and hedges, — a parable which the Pharisees themselves must 
have interpreted as against themselves. 

aS'. — What led to the utterance of several other important para- 
bles at this time ? 

F. — As our Lord came out of the Pharisees' house, he was 
quickly surrounded by a class of persons who could not have been 
admitted there — publicans and such as were accounted great sin- 
ners. At this, the Pharisees took offense; and to justify himself 
our Savior uttered the parables of the lost sheep, the lost piece of 
money, and of the prodigal son (Luke 15). He uttered also the 
parable of the unjust steward, and took occasion from it to reprove 
the Pharisees for their covetousness and hypocrisy. Still further to 
show the vanity of earthly riches in comparison with true piety, he 
narrated the story of the rich man and Lazarus.* 

/S'. — Our Savior had now finished his work in Galilee, and was 
about to go to Jerusalem to the feast of dedication : What events 
of interest took place on the way ? 

F. — Desiring to go through Samaria, he sent messengers forward 
to prepare the way for him ; but the Samaritans, finding that 
he was going to Jerusalem, refused to receive him. Whereupon 
the disciples James and John were highly indignant, and requested 
that they might call down fire from heaven to consume the Samari- 



*This is frequently but improperly called a parable. It is not a parable, has none of 
the requisites of a parable, and is never called one in Scriptures. It is a simple narra- 
tive of occurrences, partly in this world, and partly in the next. Our Savior Avas as com 
petent to speak of occurrences in one world, as in the other. 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 451 

tans, as Elijah did. But our Savior rebuked them, saying "Ye 
know not what spirit ye are of." 

As they went on their way, they came to a village inhabited by 
lepers — who were obliged to live by themselves ; and no less than 
ten lepers came out to meet him, crying with a loud voice, "Jesus, 
thou Son of David, have mercy on us." And Jesus said, " Go 
show yourselves to the priests ; " and as they went, they were all 
cleansed. And one of them, a Samaritan, when he saw that he was 
cleansed, turned back, and glorified the God of Israel. 

aS'. — Arrived at Jerusalem, what miracle was performed ? 

F, — As he was walking the street, he met a man who had 
been blind from his birth. And he spat on the ground, made soft 
clay with the spittle, rubbed it on his eyes, and told him to go and 
wash in the pool of Siloam ; and when he had washed, he came back 
restored. This miracle excited more attention among the Jews than 
any which Jesus had performed. They resolved to investigate the 
matter to the bottom, hoping to find some clue to the secret of 
these mighty works ; but they were obliged to give it up, and could 
only say to the restored man, "Give God the glor}^ " (John ix). 

S. — Why did Jesus leave Jerusalem ? And where did he go ? 

F. — He left the city, because his life was in danger there. The 
place to which he retired was Bethabara, beyond Jordan, where 
be had been baptized by John. And here great multitudes resorted 
to him, to whom he preached the gospel, and healed their sick. 

S. — While Jesus lingered here, what intelligence came to him 
from his friends at Bethany ? 

F. — He heard that his friend Lazarus was sick. On hearing 
this, he did not at once hasten to Bethany, but tarried two days 
in the place where he was. He then told his disciples that Laz- 
arus was dead; and proposed that they should go at once to the 
afflicted family. But the disciples discouraged him, saying, " The 
Jews of late sought to stone thee : and goest thou thither again ? " 
He insisted, however, upon gOMig, and his disciples went with 
him. 



452 CONVERSATIONS 'ON THE BIBLE. 

When Jesus arrived at Bethany, he found Martha and Mary in 
great affliction; for their brother had been dead four days. He 
repaired with them to the sepulchre, commanded that the stone 
which closed it should be removed, and having offered up a short 
prayer, he cried with a loud voice, '' Lazarus, come forth ! " And 
he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with grave 
clothes. And Jesus said unto them, " Loose him, and let him go." 

aS^. — What effect had this miracle on the Jews at Jerusalem ? 

F. — Many, in consequence of it, were led to believe in Christ; 
and this alarmed the Jewish rulers the more, who came at once to 
the conclusion that Jesus must be put to death. 

aS'. — To avoid his enemies, where did Jesus now retire ? 

F. — To a little city called Ephraim, lying north of Jerusalem, at 
the distance of ten or twelve miles. But the Passover was at 
hand, and he soon left his retreat to return to Jerusalem. On the 
way, he spoke further to his disciples of his approaching sufferings 
and death ; but they could not understand him. Their minds 
were still intent upon a temporal kingdom, and they were even 
plotting among themselves, as they passed along, who should be 
the greatest in that kingdom. 

S. — Did Jesus and his disciples go directly to Jerusalem? 

F. — Not directly ; they took a circuitous route through Jericho. 
And as they went out of Jericho, they passed tAvo blind' men who 
sat by the wayside begging. One of them, — and the only one 
spoken of by Mark and Luke, — was Bartimeus, who seems to have 
been more importunate, and to have attracted more notice, than 
the other. He persisted in crying aloud, and would not be 
silenced : " Jesus, thou son of David, have merc}^ on us ! " And 
Jesus called them to him, and kindly inquired what they desired 
of him ; and they said, " Lord, that we may receive our sight.'' 
And Jesus touched their eyes and said, " Receive your sight ; '* 
and their eyes were opened, and they followed him in the way. 

aS'. — What were some of the incidents of the journey from Jeri- 
cho to Jerusalem? 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 453 

F. — It was on this journey that our Lord met and converted 
Zaccheus the publican (Luke xix. 1). It was at this time, also, 
that he uttered the parable of the ten pounds, designed to set 
forth the reward of his faithful servants, and the destruction that 
was to overwhelm his enemies. 

S. — As Jesus and his disciples drew near to Jerusalem, by 
whom were they received and entertained ? 

F. — By his faithful friends, Martha and Mary, at Bethany. 
Here they made him a supper, and Martha served; while the 
raised Lazarus sat with him at the table. He was also received 
by Simon, who had been a leper, but whom, in all probability, 
Jesus had healed. It was while sitting at meat in his house, that 
Mary came with her box of spikenard and poured it on his head ; 
which gave occasion to the spiteful remark of Judas : '' Why was 
not this ointment sold for more than three hundred pence, and 
given to the poor?" 

S. — On the day following, what remarkable occurrence took 
place ? 

F. — In fulfillment of an ancient prophecy (Zech. ix. 9), Jesus 
rode into Jerusalem on an ass's colt — the only instance recorded 
of his riding, except on the sea, during his whole public ministry. 
And now he rode in a sort of triumph; some of his friends 
spreading their garments in the way, and others strcAving it with 
green boughs, and all shouting together : '' Hosannah to the Son of 
David ! Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord ! 
Hosannah in the highest I " They seem to have anticipated that 
the temporal kingdom, so long desired, was now to be set up. 

S. — Arrived in Jerusalem, what did our Savior do? 

F. — He went into the temple, and saw with sorrow what was 
done there. He undertook to accomplish, — what he had done once 
before, — a ijurgation of the temple. He cast out them that sold 
and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money- 
changers, and the seats of them that sold doves, and would not that 
any should carry any vessel through the temple (Mark xi. 15, 16). 



454 CONVEESATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

The Scribes and Pharisees were not slow to demand of him, " By 
what authority doest thou these things ? " But instead of answer- 
ing them directly, our Savior put to them a question : " The bap- 
tism of John, was it from heaven, or of men ? " This question 
they did not care to answer either way ; and so our Lord declined 
answering their question. 

From this time our Lord continued his discourses in the temple 
for several days, in a way to arouse and exasperate the chief priests, 
the Pharisees, and Scribes. He delivered the parable of the vine- 
yard let out to unfaithful husbandmen, which they could not but 
interpret against themselves ; also the parable of the marriage feast, 
to which those who were first invited would not come. He con- 
founded the Pharisees and Herodians, who came to him with an 
artful question about paying tribute to Csesar. He met the Sad- 
ducees, and answered their foolish objection against the resurrection 
of the dead. He reproved the Scribes and Pharisees for their 
manifold hypocrisy, oppression, and wickedness, and denounced 
woe after woe upon them, till it seemed as though their measure of 
woe must be full. Christ knew that he was delivering his last mes- 
sage to them, and he meant that it should be one of searching plain- 
ness, of terror, and of power. 

aS'. — On leaving the temple, what did the disciples do? 

F. — They took Jesus to show him the stones and buildings of 
the temple. This was Herod's temple, which he had commenced 
building several years before his death, and Avhich was not yet com- 
pleted. Jesus said unto them, "See ye not these great buildings? 
The days are coming when there shall not be left one stone upon 
another, that shall not be thrown down." This prediction was 
astounding to the disciples, and they followed it with another 
question : " Master, when shall these things be ? and what shall 
be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?" In 
answer to these inquiries, our Savior was led to speak very particu- 
larly of the approaching destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, 
and of the signs which should precede this terrible catastrophe. 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 455 

And then, passing over from the type to the antitype, and following 
out the inquiry of the Apostles, he was led to speak of the final 
judgment and the end of the world ; interspersing with the predic- 
tion the parables of the ten virgins, and of the talents, designed to 
impress upon the disciples the necessity of constant watchfulness, 
and a diligent preparation for his coming and kingdom. 

aS'. — As we have now come to the evening of our Savior's last 
Passover, and the journeyings of his weary life are over, will you 
please to sum them up, recount them, that we may get a connected 
view of them ? 

F. — From early infancy until about the thirtieth year of his life, 
he spent his time chiefly at Nazareth, an obscure village of Galilee, 
subject to his reputed father, and laboring with him as a carpenter. 
In his thirtieth year, he left Galilee, and came to John at Bethabara, 
where he w^as baptized. After his baptism, he retired into the wil- 
derness of Judea, where he tarried fort}^ days, and was tempted of 
the devil. Thence he returned to John, and soon after went into 
Galilee to meet his mother. From Galilee he went up to Jerusa- 
lem to his first Passover, and spent several months teaching and 
preaching in Judea. After the imprisonment of John, he Avent 
into Galilee, where he remained till the second Passover. He went 
up to the feast, but tarried in Jerusalem but a short time. He re- 
turned to Galilee, and there continued through the year. He did 
not go to the third Passover, but took a journey into Syria, almost 
to the confines of Tyre and Sidon. Returned from this excursion, 
he took another into the north-easterly part of Palestine, going as 
far as Csesarea Philippi. He came back to Capernaum, and soon 
set forward to Jerusalem to attend the feast of Tabernacles. From 
Jerusalem he returned to Galilee for the last time, and having fin- 
ished his work there, he went again to Jerusalem to the feast of the 
Dedication. Here the Jews sought his life, and he retired, for a 
season, to Bethabara, where he was baptized. From this place, he 
was summoned to Bethany, by the sickness and death of Lazarus, 
whom he raised from the dead. When the Jews again sought to 



456 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

kill him, he retired to the little village of Ephraim, some ten or 
twelve miles north of Jerusalem. Here he remained until a short 
time before the Passover, when he returned, by the way of Jericho, 
to Jerusalem, where he ate the Passover, was betrayed, and cruci- 
fied. 

S, — A busy and laborious life ! we must all say. 

F. — Yes, a busy and laborious life ! In something less than four 
years, our Savior made four journeys from Galilee into Judea, and 
back again, in addition to the last, from which he did not return. 
This would carry him over the ground nine times, besides his ex- 
cursions to the north of Galilee, and in the vicinity of Jerusalem, 
and his repeated preaching tours in both countries. All these 
journeys he accomplished on foot, surrounded generally by throng- 
ing multitudes, whom he carefully instructed, and repeatedly fed, 
and for whose benefit he performed continual miracles. Who will 
say that our Savior's public life was not a beneficent and a weary 
one ? What Christian will complain of labors, after this ? 



CONYERSATION III. 

LIFE OF CHRIST CONTINUED.— Contract to betray Christ.— The price less than 
twenty dollars. — An astounding revelation. — The garden of Gethsemane. — Crucifixion a 
Roman mode of punishing criminals. — The message of Pilate's wife concerning Jesus. — 
The death on the cross. — Burial in Joseph's new tomb. — The resurrection. — Scenes 
after.^The ascension. 

iSon. — When did Judas contract with the chief priests to betray 
his Master ? 

Father. — Two days before the Passover, he went to them pri- 
vately and said, " What will ye give me, and I will deliver him 
unto you ? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of 
silver " — less than twenty dollars of our money. 

aS'. — What preparation was made for the Passover ? 

F. — On the fifth day of the Jewish week — answering to our 
Thursday — Jesus dispatched Peter and John to the city, to make 
ready the Passover, — giving them particular directions where to go, 
and with whom to find the necessary accommodations. They went, 
and found all things as their Master had described. 

S. — How were the other disciples employed meanwhile ? 

F. — They Avere having one of those strange disputes of which we 
hear so much, — who of them should be the greatest. So to reprove 
them, after they had sat down to the paschal supper, Jesus rose 
from the table, laid aside his outward garments, girded himself with 
a towel, and began to wash his disciples' feet. This he did, to set 
them an example of humility and condescension : " If I, your Lord 
and Master, have washed your feet, so ought ye to wash one 
another's feet." Instead of striving as to which of you shall be the 
greatest, be ready, at all times, to perform one for another every 
needed act of condescension and love. 

S. — When Jesus and his disciples were eating the Passover, what 
astounding revelation, did he make to them ? 

F. — He testified and said, " Behold one of you shall betray me." 
This led to instant personal inquiry ; when our Savior indicated, 



458 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

though not in a way to be generally understood, that the traitor 
was no other than Judas Iscariot. Shortly after this, Judas left 
them, and went out to carry into effect his traitorous design. 

S. — When was the Lord's supper instituted ? 

F. — After the departure of Judas, our Savior had a long and 
affecting conversation with the eleven disciples, in which he ex- 
horted them to mutual love, told them what was to come, and 
urged them to be prepared for it. After this he took bread, and 
blessed and brake it, and instituted the sacred supper, to take the 
place of the Passover, and to be a standing memorial, in all coming 
time, of his sufferings and death. 

Nor did our Savior immediately leave the chamber, when the 
supper was ended. He sat long time there with his disciples, and 
delivered those most instructive and comforting discourses, and 
offered up that remarkable intercessor}^ prayer, which we find 
recorded from the fourteenth to the seventeenth chapters of John. 

S. — On leaving the Passover chamber, where did Jesus and his 
disciples go ? 

F. — They went out of Jerusalem on the way to the mount of 
Olives. As they passed along, Jesus continued his conversation 
with his disciples, repeating his warnings as to what was coming, 
and its effects upon them : " All ye shall be offended " — stumbled — 
"because of me this night." But Peter replied with his usual self- 
confidence, " Though all shall be offended, yet will not I." Our 
Savior turned to him and said : '' This very night, before the cock 
crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice." 

S. — On their way to Olivet, where did our Savior stop, with his 
disciples? 

F. — In the garden of Gethsemane — a secluded spot, where Jesus 
often went with his disciples. Here he fell into an intense and 
indescribable agonj^, under which his human nature seemed ready 
to sink. He prayed repeatedly, though with the most entire sub- 
mission to the Divine will, that the cup of suffering might pass 
from him. So intense was his agony, that his sweat was, as it were, 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 459 

great drops of blood falling down to the ground. He had exhorted 
his disciples to watch with him in his extremity, but, by some 
strange fatuity, they had fallen asleep. 

S. — What event occurred, to arouse them from their slumbers ? 

F. — It was at this time, and under these circumstances, that 
Judas, with his ruffian band, came upon them to take Jesus. He 
voluntarily surrendered himself to his persecutors, and consented to 
be bound, and led aAvay as a captive criminal to the high priest's 
palace. Here he was first examined. It was here that Peter 
denied him, but soon and bitterly repented of his denial. 

S. — Where was he next taken for examination ? 

F. — At break of day, he was removed to the hall of the San- 
hedrim, where he was still further examined ; and on his confessing 
himself to be the Messiah, the Son of God and future judge of the 
world, he was charged with blasphemy, and pronounced guilty of 
death. 

S. — Why was not Jesus stoned, as a blasphemer ? 

F, — Had the Jews been permitted to execute their sentence, he 
would undoubtedly have been stoned ; for this was the form of 
death prescribed b}^ the Jewish law for the blasphemer. But our 
Savior w^as not to die in this manner. He was to " be lifted up," 
to "be hanged on a tree,*' or, in other words, to be crucified. 
Hence it was necessary that he should be put to death by the 
Romans ; for crucifixion was not a Jewish, but a Roman mode of 
executing criminals. 

S. — Where was our Savior next brought for trial ? 

F. — Before Pilate, the Roman governor. And here the accusa- 
tion against him was entirely changed. Before, he had been 
accused of blasphemy ; but now he is charged with setting himself 
up to be a king, and thus conspiring against the Roman govern- 
ment. This, it was thought, was a charge in which Pilate would 
feel some interest ; whereas he would care little for a charge of 
blasphemy against the God of the Jews. Pilate examined our 
Savior closely on the charge presented, and was about to release 



460 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

him ; but hearing inciclentall}^ that he was a Galilean, he resolved 
to pass him over to Herocl, who was at this time at Jerusalem. But 
Herod, with his men of war, set him at nought, mocked him, 
arrayed him in a purple robe, and sent him again to Pilate. 

aS". — What did Pilate now do ? 

F. — He made another effort to release him ; but was overborne 
by the clamor of the Jew^s. He repeatedly declared that he found 
no fault in him ; but the enemies of Christ would listen to nothing 
but his crucifixion. The governor, therefore, was compelled to 
yield. He first took the blessed Jesus and scourged him. Then 
the soldiers took off his garments, arrayed him in purple, platted a 
crown of thorns and put it on his head ; and still further to ridicule 
his pretensions to royalty, they put a reed into his right hand, to 
represent a sceptre, and bowed the knee before him, saying, " Hail, 
king of the Jews." They also spit upon him, and took the reed out 
of his right hand, and smote him on the head. 

S. — While this profane mockery and cruelty were going on, 
what occurred ? 

F. — Pilate received a message from his wife, charging him to 
have nothing to do with that just man. This, with some other 
things, caused the governor still further to hesitate. He w^ent 
again into the judgment hall, examined anew his bleeding victim, 
and was more earnest than before to release him. But the more he 
w^avered, the more fierce and clamorous were the Jews. "If thou 
let this man go, thou art not Caesar's friend. Crucify him, crucify 
him." When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that 
rather a tumult was made, he took water and washed his hands 
before the multitude, saying, " I am innocent of the blood of this 
just man." Then the Jew^s answered and said, " His blood be on 
us, and on our children " — an imprecation which has been most 
terribly fulfilled. 

S. — When the Jews had received their victim, what did they do 
with him ? 

F. — They took off from him the purple in which the soldiers had 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 461 

arrayed him, put his own clothes upon him, and led him forth to 
the place of crucifixion. On the way, he was attended by his faith- 
ful female friends, who bewailed and lamented him, and to whom 
he administered words of instruction : " Daughters of Jerusalem, 
weep not for me, but weep for yourselves and your children." 

S. — How was Judas Iscariot affected, by what had taken place ? 

F. — When he saw that Jesus had been condemned, he was dis- 
tressed for what he had done. So he brought back the thirt}^ 
pieces of silver, threw them down in the temple, and, in his desper- 
ation, went out and hanged himself. 

S. — Where was our Savior crucified ? 

F. — The place is called Golgotha, and Calvary ; but the precise 
locality is uncertain. We only know that it was without the walls 
of the ancient city, and probably on the north-western border. 
Here Jesus was led, bearing his cross (so long as he was able to 
bear it), and attended by two thieves who were to suffer with him. 
And here, the Lord of life and glory was crucified I His hands and 
feet were nailed to the fatal wood ; the cross was erected, and here 
be hung in shame and agony — a monument at once of the justice 
and grace of God, and of the insatiate cruelty of man. It was 
w^hile the nails were driving through his flesh, and every nerve 
within him must have twinged with the keenest torture, that he 
prayed for his murderers : '' Father, forgive them, for they know 
not what they do." 

S. — How long did our Savior live, after he came to the cross ? 

F. — About six hours, i. e. from nine in the morning until three 
in the afternoon. During the first three hours, he was continually 
insulted and reproached by those w^ho stood by. They wagged 
their heads, saying, " Ah ! thou that destroyest the temple, and 
buildest it in three days, save thyself, if thou be the Son of God. 
He saved others ; himself he cannot save." It was during these first 
three hours, that he commended his mother to the care of John, and 
pardoned and assured the penitent thief. At the end of three hours, 
there came a supernatural darkness over all the land until the ninth 



462 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

hour — iit emblem of the darkness and horror which seem to have 
pervaded the pure mind of the Savior during this period. At the 
ninth hour, when the sufferer could endure no longer, he uttered 
that loud and bitter cry, '' My God, my God, why hast thou for- 
saken me I " Shortly after, Avhen he had sucked some vinegar from 
a sponge that was put to his lips, and thus fulfilled the last predic- 
tion in regard to his sufferings, he said, " It is finished ; " and he 
bowed his head and gave up the ghost. Thus died the immaculate 
Son of God, and made expiation for the sins of the world. Thus 
ended, in a moment, all his sufferings, and his pure soul took its 
flight to the Paradise of God. No indignity was offered to his life- 
less bod}^, except that, to make sure of his death, it was pierced, 
shortly after, with a soldier's spear. 

S. — Did the powers of nature seem to sympathize with the dying 
Savior at this moment ? 

F. — They did, most fearfully and wonderfully ; for, in addition to 
the appalling darkness which brooded over the whole land, there 
was now a terrible earthquake, which rent the rocks asunder, and 
burst open the tombs. The thick veil of the temple, which separa- 
ted the holy from the most holy place, was also rent in pieces, — 
thus indicating that the dispensation of types and shadows was 
ended, and that the way into the holy of holies was made manifest 
by the blood of Christ. The earthquake and the darkness put an 
end to the profane mockeries which had been indulged in around 
the cross. Every one quaked and shuddered wdth fear. They 
smote upon their breasts and said, " Certainly this was a righteous 
man. He was the Son of God." 

aS*. — What was done, the same evening, about entombing the 
Savior ? 

F. — Joseph of Arimathea, a member of the Sanhedrim, but Avho 
had not consented to their vile proceedings, came boldly to Pilate, 
and asked that he might have the body of Jesus. And when Pilate 
had ascertained that the body was truly dead, he gave it to Joseph. 
Then Joseph, assisted by other friends, took down the body and 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 463 

wrapped it in a clean linen cloth. Nicodemus also came to his 
assistance, bringing a hundred pounds weight of myrrh and aloes, to 
prepare the body for its burial. And having swathed it with the 
spices, they laid it in a new tomb which had been hewed out of a 
rock near by, in which no person had ever yet been laid ; and they 
rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed. 

S, — Where, all this while, were the female friends of Christ ? 

F. — They never deserted him for a moment. They saw him die, 
saw him taken down from the cross, followed him to the tomb, and 
saw where he was laid. 

aS'. — And how were the Jews emploj^ed ? 

F. — They too were on the alert. To make sure against any 
attempt to remove the body privately, they procured an order from 
Pilate that the door of the tomb should be sealed, and a watch set 
to guard it, at least until after the third day. When all this was 
done, the tomb was left in charge of the guards ; and friends and 
enemies departed to keep the Passover Sabbath, which by the Jews 
was regarded as a great day. And, in truth, it was a great day. 
Never before had such a Sabbath been kept in Jerusalem. The 
chief priests and Pharisees were in high exultation, though not alto- 
gether without anxieties and fears. The terrible portents attend- 
ing the death of Jesus, together with his known prediction that he 
should rise on the third day, w^ere enough to fill them with appre- 
hension. 

S. — And what were the feelings of the disciples and friends of* 
Christ, on this memorable day ? 

F. — To them it was a time of deep distress. They knew not how 
to understand the trying scenes through which they had passed, or 
w^hat to think of them. They trusted that they had found the 
long promised Messiah who Avas to deliver Israel ; but he was dead 
and buried, and all their hopes were buried with him. 

But the Sabbath passed quietly away, and the night following, 
and the first day of the week began to dawn. And now we come 
to a new chapter in our Savior's history, — his triumphant resurrec- 

29 



464 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

tion, his occasional appearance for the next forty days, and his 
final and glorious ascension into heaven. 

S. — Some persons have thought it impossible to harmonize the 
different accounts of the Evangelists in regard to our Savior's 
resurrection and subsequent appearances : Will you please to 
detail the several events in the order in which you think they took 
place ? 

F. — Towards morning, on the first day of the week, while the 
guard was keeping watch about the sepulchre, suddenl}' there was 
a great earthquake. One of the chief est of the angels of light 
descended from heaven, rolled away the stone from the door of the 
sepulchre, and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, 
and his raiment white as snow. For fear of him, the keepers trem- 
bled, swooned away, and became as dead men ; so that they were 
no longer able to see or tell what was passing around them. At 
this time, Jesus awoke from the dead, threw aside his grave-clothes, 
and left the sepulchre. At the same time, also, many bodies of the 
old saints, which had been buried round about Jerusalem, and 
whose tombs had been broken open by the earthquakes, arose from 
the dead, went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. 

While these things were passing at the sepulchre, and among the 
dead, the female friends of Christ were awake, and preparing to go 
to the sepulchre, that they might more formally and perfectly 
embalm the body of Jesus. And as they passed along to the sepul- 
chre, they had some anxiety and conversation about the stone at 
the mouth of it. It was very great, and who should assist them in 
rolling it away ? But as they approached the sepulchre, they saw 
that the stone was rolled away. As soon as the women saw that 
the tomb had been opened, they stopped and turned back, and 
Mary Magdalene ran into the city to inform the disciples. Peter 
and John arose, at once, and ran to the sepulchre. They went 
down into it, and found the grave-clothes carefully laid away ; but 
the body was not there. They returned in doubt and wonder to 
the city, leaving Mary Magdalene, who had followed them, alone at 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 465 

the sepulchre. As she wept, she stooped down and looked into the 
sepulchre. And there she saw two angels sitting, — the one at the 
head, and the other at the feet, — where the bod}^ of Jesus had been 
laid. They seem to have been in the form of men, so that she was 
not frightened at all by the apparition. And one of them said to 
her, " Why weepest thou ? " She answered, " Because they have 
taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him." 
And having said this, she turned round, and saw Jesus standing 
near her ; and supposing him to be the gardener, she said : " Sir, if 
you have removed the body of my Lord, please tell me where you 
have laid it, and I will take it away." Then Jesus said unto her in 
his usual voice and manner, '' Mary I " Instantly she knew him, 
and was about to fall at his feet and embrace him ; but he told her, 
" No, not now. Run quickly and tell my disciples what you have 
seen." 

While Mary was gone with her message to the disciples, the 
other women, from whom she had been separated, came to the 
sepulchre, at the rising of the sun. They even ventured to go 
down into it ; and there — instead of the body of Jesus — they saw 
two angels in the form of men- — probably the same which had 
before appeared to Mary Magdalene-— sitting, in shining garments, 
on the right side of the sepulchre. The angels spoke kindly to 
them, told them not to be affrighted^ and no longer to seek the liv- 
ing among the dead. " Your Lord is not here ; he is risen ; come 
see the place where they laid him. And now go quickly and tell 
his disciples that he is indeed risen from the dead." 

And as they went to tell the disciples, Jesus met them, and said 
unto them, " All hail ! " And they fell together at his feet and wor- 
shiped him. But he hastened their departure, as he had before 
done in the case of Mary Magdalene : " Go tell my brethren that I 
am alive, and that, ere long, they shall see me." So they ran and 
united their testimony with that of Mary, that t\\Qj had seen the 
Lord. But the disciples were slow of heart to believe ; they 
thought the women had been deluded, and their words seemed to 



466 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

them as idle tales. Some time in the course of the day our Savior 
appeared to Peter, but under what circumstances we are not 
informed (Luke xxiv. 34). Iii the afternoon of the same day, he 
appeared to the two disciples, as they went to Emmaus (Luke xxiv. 
13-31), and made himself known to them in the breaking of bread. 
These disciples returned, at once, to Jerusalem, and found the apos- 
tles and other disciples assembled with closed doors ; and no sooner 
had they commenced telling their story, than Jesus himself appeared 
there in their midst, and said, " Peace be unto you ! " They were 
uU terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a 
spirit ; but Jesus soon satisfied them that he was something more 
than a spirit : " Handle me and see ; for a spirit hath not flesh and 
bones as ye see me have." He kindly reproved them for their un- 
belief, in not receiving the testimony of those who had seen him, 
and left them with the comforting benediction, " Peace be unto 
you ; as my father hath sent me, so send I you." 

Thus closed the transactions of this important day — the first 
Lord's day under the new dispensation. Ciirist appeared visibly 
during the day no less than five times : first to Mary Magdalene ; 
secondly, to the other females ; third, to Peter ; fourth, to the two 
disciples on the way to Emmaus ; and fifth, to the assembled Apos- 
tles and disciples at Jerusalem. 

S. — There are some mysteries about the properties of our 
Savior's raised body. It could enter and leave a room with closed 
doors ; it could go from place to place otherwise than by the ordi- 
nary processes of locomotion; it could appear in other than its 
natural form ; it could make itself visible or invisible at pleasure 
and yet it seems not to have parted with all its grossness. It had 
"flesh and bones;" and in repeated instances, after the resurrec- 
tion, our Savior partook of material food. 

F. — I know not how to account for all the phenomena in the 
case before us, but by supposing that the change from the natural 
to the spiritual body commenced at the resurrection, but was not 
consummated until our Savior's ascension. As he was to remain 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE, 4G7 

on the earth forty days, and furnish " infallible proofs " meanwhile 
of his resurrection from the dead, it was necessary that his body 
should retain at least some of its natural properties ; else how could 
these "infallible proofs" be given. But when they had been 
adequately furnished, and his work on earth was done, and he was 
about to ascend to the right hand of God in heaven ; then these 
i-emaining natural properties were laid aside, and the entire spirit- 
ual body, in all its fullness and glory was assumed. 

S. — Our Savior is spoken of as " the first fruits from the dead," 
and " the first that should rise from the dead " (Acts xxvi. 23) ; 
and yet several persons had been raised before him — some of them 
by himself. 

F. — I suppose that he was the first that ever rose with a proper 
resurrection body — rose to die no more. 

S. — Did our Savior make any visible appearances between the 
first Lord's day and the second ? 

F. — Not that we know of; nor do we know how the disciples 
were employed. But when they had assembled on the second 
Lord's day, Christ appeared in the midst of them, as before. He 
appeared now to convince the incredulous Thomas that he was 
indeed alive. " Reach hither thy fingers, and behold my hands ; 
and reach hither thy hand and thrust it into my side ; and be not 
faithless, but believing." 

S. — Where was our Lord's next appearance? 

F. — It was in Galilee, where the disciples had gone in expecta^ 
tion of meeting him. They had been fishing all the night and had 
taken nothing. In the morning their Lord appeared to them on 
the shore. As soon as they knew him, they rushed forward to meet 
him, and had a most interesting season of communion with him. 
It Avas at this time that he thrice demanded of Peter, " Lovest thou 
me ? " and received the thrice repeated protestations of Peter's 
love. It was here that our Lord predicted Peter's martyrdom, and 
intimated th-at John might long survive him. 

S. — Did not our Savior meet his disciples again in Galilee ? 



468 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

F. — Yes ; lie met them on a mountain, where " he was seen by 
more than five liundred brethren at once. After that, he was seen 
of James; then of all tlie Apostles" (1 Cor. xv. 6). Our Lord 
repeatedly met his disciples at Jerusalem, and instructed them in 
things pertaining to his kingdom. He instituted Christian baptism 
— baptism in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, 
and made it one of the standing ordinances of his kingdom. And 
whereas he had formerly restricted them in their ministry to the 
lost sheep of the house of Israel, he now greatly enlarged their 
commission : '' Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to 
every creature." He promised to aid them by miraculous powers 
and gifts as long as these should be needed, and to be with them 
by his gracious Spirit even unto the end of the world. 

S. — When the forty days of our Lord's continuance on the earth 
were ended, and the time of his ascension had come, where did he 
meet his disciples ? 

F. — He met them in Jerusalem, and led them out over the brook 
Kedron, by the same path in which they went the night before 
the crucifixion. And when they came to Bethany, on the eastern 
slope of the mount of Olives, he lifted up his hands and blessed 
them. And it came to pass while he blessed them, that he was 
separated from them, and a cloud received him out of their sight. 
And while they looked steadfastl}^ towards heaven, suddenly two 
angels stood beside them and said, " Ye men of Galilee, why stand 
ye here gazing towards heaven ? This same Jesus, which has been 
taken from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye 
have seen him go into heaven." And the disciples worshiped 
him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. They spent most 
of the time, for the next eight or ten days, in united prayer, 
waiting for the promised descent of the Holy Spirit. 

S. — It seems that our Savior's appearances, after his resurrec- 
tion, were confined to his disciples and friends. Why did he not 
appear to the unbelieving Jews, and convince them all at once of 
his resurrection, and consequent Messiahship? 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 469 

F. — I may ansAver this question by asking another : Why does 
not Christ appear no\Y in celestial glory, and substantiate his 
Divinity and his Messiahship at once and forever ? I can conceive 
of two reasons why Christ did not appear to his enemies after 
his resurrection. In the first place, they were not in a state of 
mind to be convinced by any amount of evidence which he could 
consistently aiford them. They had perverted all the evidence 
which had been given them during his life ; had charged him with 
blasphemy ; had ascribed his miracles to Beelzebub ; had procured 
his murder ; had imprecated his blood upon themselves and their 
children ; and in these ways had proved themselves to be incorrig- 
ible. If Christ had appeared to them after his resurrection, they 
would have called him a spectre, an illusion, a demon, anything 
rather than the risen Messiah. Hence, secondly, these Jews had 
reached the point, or many of them had, — of judicial abandon- 
ment. God had said of them, Let them alone. They had been 
given over to hardness of heart and blindness of mind, and no 
further means of instructon or conviction were to be wasted upon 
them. 

I have now presented you with a brief sketch of the life of 
Christ — the briefest possible that should contain a connected 
account of the facts of liis history — and what will you say of it ? 

aS*. — I trust we are all ready to say, in review, A wonderful 
life I a Divine life ! fully attesting his high claims to be the Son 
of God, and the Savior of the Avorld I I trust it may be our daily 
and constant study. Most certainly it can never grow old to us. 
It can never be pondered but with interest and profit. The 
Lord help us thus to study it ; and so doing, may we drink deep of 
the spirit of Christ, grow into his image and likeness, and thus be 
preparing for his everlasting kingdom. 



CONVEESATION IV. 

THE NEW DISPENSATION.— The old and the new.— The church under each.— Dif- 
ferent dispensations. — Commencement of the new. — Who comprised the church at the 
time of Christ's death. — The Pentecost. — Changing the day of rest or feabbath. — Rea- 
sons of the change. — The form of admitting new members into the church. — Acts of 
the Apostles. 

Son. — Has the church of God been the same body under the 
several dispensations ? 

Father. — It has. " My dove, my undefiled is but one ; she is 
the only one of her mother." Pious persons in every age have 
not only possessed, but professed, the same true religion, and have 
been members of the same church of the living God. Righteous 
Abel belonged to the same church with Abraham, and Abraham 
to the same with Moses, and Moses to the same with Peter, John, 
and Paul, and they to the same with Christians now. The dispen- 
sations have changed, but the church has remained the same. 

S. — Under what dispensations has the church of God existed ? 

F. — The earliest dispensation was the Patriarchal. This was 
succeeded by the Mosaic dispensation, which commenced at Sinai, 
at the giving of the law ; and continued till the gospel dispen- 
sation was ushered in. Yet, under all, as I said, the church 
has remained one and the same. Christ came to purge his floor, 
not to destroy it. According to his own prediction (Matt. viii. 11), 
the Gentiles were gathered into the same kingdom or church from 
which the unbelieving Jews were ejected. They were grafted into 
the same olive tree, from which the Jews were broken off (Rom. 
xi. 17). 

>S'. — Did the gospel dispensation commence at the coming ot 
Christ, or at his death ? 

F. — It commenced at his death. Our Savior observed all the 
rites of the Mosaic dispensation, and enjoined them upon others. 
" Go thy way," said he to the cleansed leper, '' show thyself to 
the priest, and offer the gift which Moses commanded for a testi- 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 471 

mony unto them" (Matt. viii. 4). Then the bloody rites of the 
Mosaic dispensation lost none of their significance, until the death 
of Christ. The}" were as significant and as necessary, the year, 
the month, the day before the crucifixion, as they had been in the 
days of Moses or of Samuel. Hence we find it expressly stated 
by the Apostle Paul, that the ordinances of the Mosaic dispensa- 
tion terminated, not at the birth of Christ, nor at the commence- 
ment of his public ministry, but at his death. "Blotting out 
the hand-writing of ordinances that was contrary to us, and took 
it out of the way, nailing it to Jiis cross " (Col. ii. 14). It was on 
the cross, then, that the rites of the old dispensation were taken 
out of the way. It was the sacrifice of the cross which removed 
their significanc}" and necessity ; and when these were gone, and 
there was no farther use for them, they ceased to be binding, and 
ere long ceased to be observed. 

S. — Who constituted the visible church which, at the death of 
Christ, passed over from the old dispensation to the new ? 

F.—Not the whole body of the Jewish nation which had con- 
stituted the visible church up to this time. For their unbelief and 
rejection of Christ, this people, or the mass of them, were cut off. 
As the idolatrous world was abandoned at the calling of Abraham, 
and the visible church thenceforth was confined to his family, so the 
great body of Abraham's descendants were now rejected, and the 
visible church was confined to the faithful few, who had followed 
Christ in the regeneration, and adhered to him through the dark 
period of his sufferings and death. The hour of Christ's death, 
then, was the time of the great excision, when the floor of the visi- 
ble church was purged, when the stock of the good olive was 
pruned almost to utter nakedness, preparatory to the reception of 
new and better branches. The faithful few who adhered to Christ 
through the period of his trial, and thus proved themselves to be 
his disciples in deed and in truth, — these were they who bridged 
the gulf of separation ; who passed over from the old dispensation 
to the new ; and who, subsequent to the resurrection, constituted 



472 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

the church of God on earth. Here were the eleven apostles ; here 
were Christ's faithful female friends — "last at the cross, and first at 
the sepulchre/' The whole number of names, we read in one place, 
was a hundred and tAventy. On another occasion, there seem to 
have been five hundred. We nowhere read of a larger number 
than this. These, then, at the first, constituted the church of the 
new dispensation. They were the nucleus, about which the Chris- 
tian Avorld was now to gather, and into which converted Jews and 
Gentiles Avere about to be received. 

aS'. — Why Avere not these fiA-^e hundred Christian brethren and 
sisters, more or less, baptized Avith Christian baptism, and formally 
admitted to the church of Christ ? 

F. — They Avere members of the church already. They had never 
been exscinded. They were church-members under the former dis- 
pensation ; and Avhen all the rest Avere cut off for their unbelief, 
these alone remained. Of course, they did not need to be taken 
into the church, they Avere never out of it. They had receiA'ed the 
seal of the church-covenant under the former dispensation, and 
needed not to have it repeated under the ncAv. But Avhen the un- 
belicAdng, exscinded Jews began to be converted, they, being out of 
the church, must be taken into it, and must receive the initiatory 
rite of baptism. The Apostles understood this matter and bap- 
tized all those AAdio were receiA^ed at the Pentecost, and on subse- 
quent occasions. And though many of these, undoubtedly, had 
been baptized by John, this made no difference. John's baptism 
Avas a mere preparatory rite ; it Avas not Christian baptism ; and 
Avhen any Avere received to the Christian church, AAdiether Jcavs or 
Gentiles, they must be baptized. 

aS'. — HoAv long Avas it from the Passover, Avhen Christ was cruci- 
fied, to the Pentecost? 

F. — It Avas fifty days. Hence the name Pentecost., from the 
Latin PpMtp.cokta. fifty. 

aS'. — How much of this time remained, after the ascension of 
Christ ? 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 473 

F. — Between the ascension and the Pentecost, there must have 
been some seven or eight clays. This time the disciples spent in 
earnest and united prayer, imploring, with one accord, the descent 
of the blessed Comforter, which their DiA-ine Master had promised 
to bestow. 

S. — How was the Pentecost ushered in ? 

F. — When the day of Pentecost was fully come, and the disciples 
were assembled in their usual place of meeting (which I suppose 
was one of the porches or chambers about the temple), suddenly 
the Holy Spirit came upon them like a rushing, mighty wind, fill- 
ing all the place where they were sitting, and filling each of their 
hearts with light and love. It w^as attended, also, with miraculous 
appearances and gifts; for there appeared in the room pointed, glit- 
tering, lambent flames, in shape like tongues of fire, and they set- 
tled on the heads of each of the Apostles ; and immediately they 
began to speak with other tongues — in languages which they had 
never learned — as the Spirit gave them utterance. 

Jerusalem was at this time filled with people — Jews speaking dif- 
ferent languages from the surrounding countries, who had come 
together to celebrate the Pentecost ; so when the strange occur- 
rences in the Apostles' meeting came to be known, many rushed in 
there to see and hear for themselves ; and they were all amazed and 
confounded to hear these unlettered Galileans speaking the lan- 
guages of the nations round about, and publishing forth, in all, the 
wonderful works of God. 

aS'. — How did the unbelieving Jews undertake to explain these 
strange appearances ? 

F. — Not knowing what else to make of them, and determined to 
turn them, if possible, to the discredit of the Apostles, some insisted 
that they must be intoxicated. But Peter, standing up in the 
midst, refuted this slander in few words. He then went on to 
preach to the people a long and pointed discourse, in which he ex- 
plained to them the nature and cause of the strange appearances 
they had witnessed. This was no other than an outpouring of the 



474 conversation;s on the bible. 

Holy Spirit, in fulfillment of an ancient prediction of the prophet 
Joel. It was a fulfillment also of an express promise of Christ, who 
had been crucified and slain, but whom God had raised from the 
dead, and taken up visibly into heaven ; of which, said he, " we all 
are witnesses." He proceeded to show that this same Jesus was 
the promised Messiah, and that they had been guilty of crucifying 
the Lord from heaven. 

S. — How were the hearers of Peter affected by his sermon ? 

F. — They were "pricked to the heart." Their hearts began to 
bleed and melt under a sense of guilt, and they cried out in bitter- 
ness of soul, " Men and brethren, what shall we do ? " To this 
inquiry Peter made answer : '' Repent and be baptized every one of 
you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins ; and ye 
shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." The people complied 
with this direction on the spot ; and the same day there were added 
to the little company of disciples no less than three thousand souls. 

S. — On what day of the week did this great outpouring of the 
Spirit occur? 

F. — It occurred on the first day of the week — that which was 
afterwards called the Lord's day. The Pentecost alwaj^s occurred 
on the first day of the Jewish week. Our Savior honored and set 
apart the first day of the week by his resurrection from the dead ; 
he further honored it by his repeated appearances on this day subse- 
quent to his resurrection ; and now he put, if possible, a still higher 
honor upon it, by pouring out his Spirit on this day, and gathering 
in the first fruits of the Christian harvest. 

S. — It is said of the disciples at this time that "they sold their 
possessions, and parted to all men as every one had need." They 
"had all things common." Why was this? 

F. — This measure was partly one of necessity, showing, at the 
same time, their abounding liberality. Many of these new disciples 
were strangers in Jerusalem, drawn together to celebrate the feast. 
Probably the greater part of them were not residents in the city. 
They were thrown together in providence, and drawn together by 



CONVERSATION'S ON THE BIBLE. 475 

the cord of Christian love. They felt as though they could not be 
separated, at least for the present. But how were they to subsist? 
How are they to be supported ? These questions were readily 
answered. Let us put all our property into a common stock, and 
live upon it as long as it lasts ; Avhen it is gone, the Lord will pro- 
vide. It is very certain that this mode of living was never designed 
to be perpetuated in the church. It came in, for a time, as a meas- 
ure of necessity ; and wdien the necessity ceased, it passed away. 

aS'. — What was the most noticeable event in their history at this 
time ? 

F. — It was the healing of the lame man at the gate of the temple. 
This excited much attention, and led to many inquiries among the 
people ; in replying to which Peter was led to deliver another of 
his stirring discourses. He charged home upon the Jews, as he did 
before, the guilt of rejecting and murdering the Lord, and con- 
cluded by solemnly calling them to repentance. " Repent and be 
converted, that your sins may be blotted out." The result was, 
another large addition to the church. The whole number had now 
come to be five thousand. 

S. — How w^ere the Jewish rulers affected by this large accession 
to the number of the disciples ? 

F. — They were aroused to new methods of opposition. They 
had hoped that the death of Jesus w^ould effectually scatter and dis- 
comfit his followers; but they were preaching, working miracles, 
and making many proselytes ; and something must be done to stop 
them. So they arrested Peter and John, put them in prison, and 
brought them before the council for examination. At their exami- 
nation, Peter addressed the rulers of his nation in the boldest, plain- 
est manner. He asserted the resurrection and ascension of Christ, 
together with his Divine authority and power, and proclaimed 
him the only Savior of lost men. The rulers Avere puzzled to 
know what to do with their prisoners. They had committed no 
offense against the laws, and they were in great favor with the peo- 
ple. They concluded, therefore, to threaten them, and let them go 



476 CONVEHSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

S. — In the midst of their great prosperity, what heavy trial came 
upon the apostolic church ? 

F. — It was the detected hypocrisy and death of two of their own 
number. Ananias and Sapphira had drifted into the church on the 
high tide of the Pentecost revival, without having the selfishness 
of their hearts subdued ; and yet they wished to stand well with 
the disciples, and keep up the appearance of being as liberal as any 
of them. So when they saw others selling their land, and laying 
the price of it at the Apostles' feet, they concluded to do the same. 
They sold their land, and brought a jjart of the proceeds to the 
Apostles, pretending, at the same time, to have brought it all. 
And here was their error and their sin. They were not obliged to 
sell their land, unless they chose ; and when they had sold it, they 
might have retained the whole price of it, or any part of the price, 
in their own hands, if they pleased. But they deceived and lied 
about it. They wished to have the credit of giving up all, when, 
in fact, they kept back a part. But the lie Avas instantly detected, 
and they were struck down dead for their sin. An awful example 
to the infant church of the guilt and danger of hypocrisy I An 
awful warning to those who saw it then, who have since read of it, 
or ever will read of it to the end of the world, to be afraid of 
sinning against the Holy Ghost, and tempting the Almighty, in 
similar ways ! 



CONVERSATION V. 

THE APOSTOLIC CHURCH. — How it was formed. — Deacons appointed and their 
duties. — Vision of Stephen. — His cruel death. — Persecution of the Christians. — Saul of 
Tarsus. — Scattering abroad. — Spread of the gospel. — Laying on of hands. — Saul's con- 
version. — Peter raises Lydia from the dead. — Peter in prison. 

Soil. — The Apostles had been once called to an account and cast 
into prison by the Jewish rulers : Were thej imprisoned again ? 

Father. — They ^Yere ; but the angel of the Lord opened their 
prison doors by night, brought them out, and said unto them, •' Go, 
stand in the temple and preach to the peoj)le all the words of this 
life." They did so ; and when the rulers called for them the next 
day, instead of finding them in prison, they found them engaged 
in their old work of preaching the gospel. They summoned them 
to a trial, and perhaps might have punished them ; but Gamaliel, a 
celebrated doctor of the Jewish law, dissuaded them from it : •• Re- 
frain from these men, and let them alone ; for if this counsel or 
this work be of men, it will come to naught ; but if it be of God, 
ye cannot overthrow it, lest haply ye be found to fight even against 
God." This good advice was heeded by the rulers ; and so, with 
another charge to stop their preaching, the Apostles were dis- 
missed. 

aS'. — Please tell us under what circumstances the first deacons 
were appointed. 

F. — The Apostles had much to do in distributing supplies 
from the common stock, and in caring for the poor : and after all 
their efforts, entire satisfaction was not given. There was a mur- 
muring of the foreign Jews against the Hebrews, because their 
widows were neglected in the daily ministration. Wherefore the 
Apostles called the church together, and said: "It is not meet 
that we should leave the word of God and serve tables. Choose 
you, therefore, seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost 
and of faith, whom we may appoint over this business ; but we 
will give ourselves to prayer, and to the ministering of the 



478 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

word/' This suggestion was accepted, the seven deacons wei>' 
appointed, and solemnly consecrated to their work by the imposi 
tion of hands and prayer. 

S. — The most distinguished of these deacons was Stephen : 
Please give us some account of him. 

F. — Stephen was a foreign Jew, and had frequent disputes with 
unbelievers in the synagogue of the foreign Jews. And they, 
being unable to withstand him in argument, undertook to destroy 
his life. Thev arraio^ned him before the Sanhedrim on the charg-e 
of having spoken blasphemous words against Moses, and against 
God. In his defense, Stephen delivered a long and eloquent dis- 
course, sketching the history of God's dealings with the Israelitish 
nation in ancient times, that he might overcome prejudice, and 
better introduce his testimony in favor of Christ. The Jewish 
rulers heard him for a time, but at length, becoming impatient, 
they interrupted him, and brought his address to a sudden close . 
" Ye stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always 
resist the Holy Ghost ; as your fathers did, so do ye." Hearing 
this, the Jews were cut to the heart, and gnashed upon Stephen 
with their teeth. But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up 
steadfastly into heaven, and said : '' Behold, I see the heavens 
opened, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God." Then the 
Jews cried out " Blasphemy ! " with a loud voice, and ran upon 
liim with one accord, and thrust him out of the city, and stoned 
him. So Stephen died, like his Divine Master, with the language 
of forgiveness and supplication on his lips, "Lord, lay not this sin 
to their charge." 

S. — Where was Pilate at this time, and Avhat authority had the 
Jews to put any one to death, without his consent ? 

F. — I answer, that Stephen may have died in a popular tumult, 
without the regular forms of law ; or Pilate may have been, at 
the time, absent from Jerusalem ; or (what is more probable) he 
may have given a general license to persecute and destroy the 
Christians. Having put their master to death, he may have given 



\ 




TIKE f^TdDMJIMQ OF STEPMENo 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 481 



a general license to the Jewish rulers to treat his followers as the}/ 
pleased. 

aS'. — Were any other of the disciples put to death, at this time, 
except Stephen ? 

F. — Yes, there was a great and general persecution, in which 
Saul of Tarsus was particularly active. The witnesses who ac- 
cused Stephen, and afterwards stoned him, laid down their clothes 
at the feet of Saul. It is said that " he made havoc of the 
church," entering into the houses of Christians, and committing 
many of them to prison, and when they were put to death, he 
gave his voice against them. But this persecution, tliough most 
maliciously intended, and w^ickedly executed, was over-ruled for 
the furtherance of the gospel. Up to this time, the Christian 
community had clung together at Jerusalem. They were unwill- 
ing to be separated. But God designed that they should be sep- 
arated ; and he over-ruled this bitter persecution for this very 
purpose. The apostles still resided for the most part at Jerusa- 
lem ; but the members of the church were scattered abroad. And 
wherever they went, they carried the gospel with them. " They 
went forth everywhere preaching the word." 

S. — And what was the effect of their preaching? 

F. — Their labors, we know, Avere greatly blessed. Almost 
immediately, we begin to hear of little communities of Christians in 
all the principal cities of Palestine and Syria. The success of 
one of these first missionaries was so considerable that inspiration 
has recorded it. Philip, one of the seven deacons, but who soon 
became an evangelist, went down to Samaria and preached Christ 
there. The Samaritans were at this time greatly interested in 
the performances of one Simon, a magician, who pretended to 
work miracles, and to be the great power of God. But when 
Philip came among them, and preached the gospel, and performed, 
not magical tricks, but real miracles., they all forsook Simon, and 
gathered round the Evangelist. Soon, there was a great revival of 
religion, and many were baptized. Even Simon himself professed 

30 



482 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE, 

to be a believer, received baptism, and continued with Philip,, 
beholding the signs and miracles which were done. 

S. — When the Apostles heard of this revival at Samaria, what 
d id they do ? 

F. — They sent Peter and John to assist Philip, and to do for 
the new converts, what Philip could not do, — to lay their hands on 
them, and impart the miraculous influences of the Holy Ghost. 
This gift could be imparted by the laying on of the Apostles' 
hands, and in no other wa}^ Others wrought miracles in the 
Apostolic age, but none except the Apostles could impart the gift. 
And this was that which Simon the sorcerer wanted to buy, — not 
the power of working miracles, but the apostolical power of impart- 
ing the gift. " Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay 
my hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost." His j)referring such a 
request as this, accompanied with the offer of money, was what 
revealed the secret of his character, and led Peter to say, with 
mingled emotions of indignation and scorn, '' Thy money perish 
with thee ! Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter, for thy 
heart is not right in the sight of God." 

S. — When a church had been established at Samaria, what was. 
Philip directed to do ? 

F. — He must go and meet the Ethiopian eunuch, and preach the 
gospel of salvation to him. The eunuch was soon convinced, con- 
verted and baptized, and returned to the court of his royal mistress 
rejoicing. Philip turned his feet northward, and preached in all 
the cities till he came to Csesarea. 

S. — Was the persecution still in progress at Jerusalem ? 

F. — It was ; Saul was still pursuing his bloody work there. Nor 
was he satisfied to confine his efforts to the holy city ; but hearing 
that there were Christians at Damascus, he went to the high priest, 
and desired of him letters to the synagogues at Damascus, that, 
if any of the hated sect were secreted there, he might bring them 
bound to Jerusalem. 

aS'. — What was Saul's experience on his journey to Damascus ? 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 483 

F. — As he approached the city, suddenly there shone about him 
a light from heaven, before which he was instantly struck blind and 
prostrated. And then he heard a voice crying in his ear, " Saul, 
Saul, why persecutest thou me ? " And Saul astonished asked, 
" Who art thou. Lord ? " And the Lord said, " I am Jesus tvliom 
thou persecutest.''^ And now if a thunderbolt had struck the pros- 
trate persecutor, he could not have been more confounded. He 
saw, at once, what he had been doing. He saw that this Jesus was 
really, what he claimed to be, the Messiah of the Scriptures, whom 
he had been madly persecuting in his followers. He saw his fear- 
ful guilt, his danger, his ruin, and he seems to have submitted to his 
Redeemer at once. And so turning to him the eye of faith (for his 
natural eye was for the time extinguished) he said to him in accents 
of love: "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" As much as to 
say, " I am now your servant. I am ready to do anything. Lord, 
wilt thou accept me. Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" 

S. — Where was Peter at this time ? 

F. — He was on a missionary tour, in different parts of Palestine. 
In the course of it he visited Lydda, a town lying between Jeru- 
salem and Joppa., about a dozen miles from the latter place. Here 
he healed Eneas of a palsy which had confined him in his bed eight 
years. This miracle arrested attention, and great numbers in 
Lydda and the surrounding country were converted. 

S. — What painful event occurred at this time in Joppa? 

F. — A beloved female disciple, whose name was Dorcas, was 
taken sick and died. And as Lydda was nigh to Joppa., and the 
bereaved friends had heard that Peter was there, they sent mes- 
sengers unto him, entreating that he would come to them. So 
Peter went with them to Joppa, and visited the family of the 
deceased woman ; and in answer to his prayer, she was raised from 
the dead. This great miracle extended still farther the fame of the 
Apostle, and many in Joppa turned to the Lord. 

S. — While Peter remained at Joppa., what new revelation was 
made to him? 



484 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

F. — That the door of faith was opened to the Gentiles. The 
revelation was on this wise : He saw in vision a great sheet let 
down from heaven, on which were all manner of beasts, clean and 
unclean, and creeping things, and fowls of the air ; and Peter was 
astonished to hear liimself commanded to eat of them promiscuously 
— a thing which he had never done, and which he was forbidden to 
do by the Jewish lav/. While Peter was revolving this strange 
command, he received a message from Csesarea which threw some 
light upon it, and helped him to understand it aright. There 
resided at Csesarea, about thirty miles off, a pious military officer, 
whose name was Cornelius. Though still a Gentile, he had come 
to the knowledge of the true God, and was a devout and spiritual 
worshiper. In answer to his prayers, an angel had appeared to 
him, who directed him to send to Jopim for Peter, who would 
come and instruct him in the gospel. Accordingly he sent ; and 
his messengers arrived at Joppa, just as Peter had recovered from 
his vision. Putting the two revelations together, Peter could 
not doubt as to the import of the call, or as to his duty. He 
must go to Cornelius, and preach the gospel to the Gentiles, though 
in so doing, he might contravene some of the precepts of the 
Jewish law. Accordingly he went with the messengers of Cor- 
nelius, met him and his family, and preached to them the gospel ; 
and as he was speaking, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as it did 
on the disciples on the day of Pentecost, enabling them to speak 
with tongues, and to perform other miraculous works. Then 
Peter said, "Can any man forbid water that these should not 
be baptized, Avho have received the Holy Ghost as well as we ? 
And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord 
Jesus." 

Such was the entrance of the gospel among the Gentiles — a work 
which shortl}^ spread, under the auspices of the converted Saul of 
Tarsus, into all parts of the Roman world. Peter was soon called 
to an account for what he had done by his Jewish brethren at Jeru- 
salem ; but Avhen he had expounded the whole matter to them, they 




Charles Burt. 



(DHMIST AMB TMIE FHAMISIEIES. 



Drav/n and Endraved expresslv for the "Conversations." 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 487 

joyfully acquiesced, saying, " Then hath God granted also unto the 
Gentiles repentance unto life." 

S, — Where was the gospel next preached to the Gentiles ? 

F. — In the great city of Antioch, Avhere many believed and turned 
unto the Lord. When the brethren at Jerusalem heard of the 
revival at Antioch, they sent thither Barnabas, a man full of faith 
and of the Holy Ghost, that he should go and assist his brethren. 
He did so, and had great encouragement in his labors ; but finding 
the work too great for him, he went to Tarsus, and secured an 
efficient helper in Saul — afterwards the great Apostle of the Gen- 
tiles. These men now spent a Avhole year at Antioch, where they 
gathered a flourishing church, and taught much people ; and the 
disciples ^vere first called Christians at Antioch. 

S. — While these things were going on in Syria, what was the 
condition of the church at Jerusalem ? 

F. — Jerusalem was threatened with another persecution. Herod 
Agrippa, a grandson of Herod the great, had come into favor with 
the emperor Claudius, w^ho gave him the entire kingdom of his 
grandfather. It was during his short reign that " he stretched forth 
his hand to vex certain of the church, and slew James the brother of 
John with the sword." And finding that this act of cruelty pleased 
the Jews, he next proceeded to take Peter also. And when he had 
apprehended him, he put him in prison under charge of no less than 
sixteen soldiers, intending, after the Passover, to bring him forth 
unto the people. But prayer was made without ceasing of the 
church for him ; and the prayers of God's people prevailed. For 
while Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with chains, 
and the keepers of the prison were guarding the door, an angel from 
God appeared in the prison, awoke the Apostle, knocked off his 
chains, and said to him, " gird on thy sandals and follow me." So 
the angel led him forth through the barred gates, and guarded 
wards, till he was quite at liberty in the streets of Jerusalem. Be- 
ing thus miraculously delivered, Peter wended his Avay to the house 
of one of the sisters of the church, where many were assembled for 



488 CONVEESATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

the purpose of prayer. He gained access to the meeting, rehearsed 
the story of his deliverance, commanded them to go and tell it to 
the other Apostles, and then retired to a place of safety. 

We shall have more to say of Peter in our next conversation. 



CONYERSATION YI. 

LIVES OF THE APOSTLES.— Peter.— Doctrines of the Roman church.— His la- 
bors. — His death and last request. — Andrew. — Brother to Peter. — His character and 
labors. — Origin of St. Andrew's Cross.— James the elder. — Brother of John. — First to 
suffer martyrdom. — Roman Traditions. — Philip. — First called by Christ. — Supposed 
field of labor and death.— Nathanael.— Special friend of Peter. — What tradition says 
of him. — Matthew wealthy. — Author of one of the books of the New Testament. — 
Thomas. — His character. — Goes to Egypt and establishes a church in Lidia. 

I. PETER. 

/Son. — You have already sketched the life of Peter, until his 
miraculous deliverance from prison and from death. What do we 
hear of him after this ? 

Father. — Very little in the sacred history. For several years he 
seems to have resided mostly at Jerusalem. Here Paul met him 
when he Avent from Antioch to Jerusalem, on the question of cir- 
cumcising the Gentile converts. This was about the year 49 — 
fourteen years subsequent to the conversion of Paul (Gal. ii. 11). 
It was at this time that Paul received from Peter, James and 
John the right hand of fellowship, that he should go to the 
heathen, while they continued to labor chiefly among the Jews. 

Not long after this, we find Peter at Antioch, where he dissem- 
bled, through fear of the Jews, refused to associate with the Gen- 
tile converts, and acted contrary to the decree which had been 
passed at Jerusalem. For this he Avas rebuked by his brother 
Paul, — which rebuke he received in a Christian manner, being 
convinced, no doubt, that it was deserved. 

After this, he spent some time at Corinth ; for when this church 
became divided respecting its ministers, some claimed that they 
were of Paul, and some of Apollos, and some of Cephas — Peter, 
and some of Christ (1 Cor. i. 12). Still later in life, we find him 
at Babylon — probably New Babylon in Assyria, in the neighbor- 
hood of which many Jews had resided, ev^er since the captivity. 
It is from this place that Peter dates his first epistle. 



490 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

S. — Have the fathers aught to say of the later labors of Peter ? 

F. — According to Origen, Peter's last missionary labors were 
chiefly with the dispersed Jews " in the regions of Pontus, Galatia, 
Bythinia, Cappadocia and Asi?.." And this agrees with the repre- 
sentation of Paul, that while he was commissioned to go to the 
heathen, Peter was the Apostle of the circumcision. It agrees, 
also, with the representation of Peter himself, who addresses his 
first Epistle " to the strangers," i. e. foreign Jews, " scattered 
throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bj'thinia." 

S. — What do the Roman Catholics teach, resj^ecting Peter ? 

F. — They insist that he resided long at Rome, and was the 
first bishop of Rome ; but the Scriptures, instead of favoring 
this supposition, give their testimony against it. Paul wrote 
his Epistle to the Romans about the year 57 — long after Peter, 
according to the Papists, had become bishop of that church ; yet 
there is not a word in it about Peter, nor so much as an inti- 
mation that he, or any other Apostle, had ever been there. In the 
last chapter of this Epistle, Paul sends salutations to beloved 
Christian friends at Rome, mentioning them by name, and stating 
a variety of circumstances respecting them ; but not a word do 
we find respecting Peter. Two or three years later, Paul himself 
arrived, a prisoner, at Rome, and was received with great favor by 
the church ; but still no mention is made of Peter. Paul dwelt 
two whole years in his hired house at Rome, whence he wrote 
several of his Epistles to the churches ; but in none of these 
Ej)istles do we find the slightest allusion to Peter. In view of all 
these representations, who can believe that up to Paul's writing of 
his last Epistle from Rome, Peter had ever resided there, — much less 
that he had long been bishop of that church ? 

S. — Was Peter ever a bishop anywhere ? 

F. — No ; he was an Apostle, not a bishop. Not only are these 
two offices not the same, they are incompatible one with the other. 
An Apostle is a missionary, a minister at large, one who has, — 
what Paul tells us he had, — " the care of all the churches." A 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE 491 

bishop has, or should have, a pastoral charge. He is the overseer 
of a particular Hock ; he is confined, in his attentions, to some 
particular field of labor. But to what particular fields of labor 
were the Apostles severally confined? They were appointed, 
expressly, that thej' might be witnesses for Christ, " in Jerusalem, 
in Judea, in Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earths 
Peter is degraded by the supposition that, from being a distin- 
guished Apostle, he became the bishop of a single city, even 
though that city were Rome. 

S. — Was Peter ever at Rome ? 

F. — We have no certain evidence that he was ; though the 
probability is that he came there, or was carried there, a little 
while before his death. The testimony of the ancient church is, 
that he was crucified at Rome in the persecution under Nero, 
about the year Qb. At his own request, he was crucified head 
downwards. 

II. ANDREW. 

S. — The ADOstle Peter had a brother Andrew, who was also an 
Apostle. How much do we know respecting him? 

F. — Andrew became a follower of Christ sooner than Peter. 
They were born at Bethsaida, on the northern shore of the sea of 
Galilee ; were by profession fishermen ; and were both of them dis- 
ciples of John the Baptist. When John had designated Jesus as 
the Lamb of God, who should take away the sins of the world, 
Andrew at once commenced following him. Shortly after, he 
found his brother Simon, and brought him to Christ; and hence- 
forward they followed the Lamb of God together. During the 
personal ministry of Christ, though Andrew was, so far as we 
know, a consistent and faithful disciple, still we hear but little of 
him. While his brother Peter was naturally forward, talkative^ 
impulsive, Andrew was a ver}^ different character. He was a silent 
witness of our Savior's miracles, and listener to his instructions, 
and received no special tokens of his Master's affection and regard. 

S. — Where was he after the ascension of Christ ? 



492 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

F. — He doubtless remained for a time at Jerusalem, as all the 
other Apostles did. He then went forth to publish the gospel; but 
the ancients are not agreed as to the field of his labors. Some 
think that he went into Scythia ; — others, with more probability, 
assign him to different points in Greece. The modern Greeks re- 
gard him as the founder of the church at Constantinople ; but of 
this there is no certain proof. The story is, that after long labor 
and great success in his chosen work of preaching the gospel to the 
nations, he Avas crucified at Patrse, a city of Achaia, by ^geas, the 
proconsul. He is said to have been crucified on a cross in the form 
of an X; which, from this circumstance, was called St. Andrew's 
cross. 

III. JAMES, THE ELDER. 

S. — There were two Jameses in the family of our Lord, the elder 
and the junior, or the greater and the less. What can you tell us 
of the elder James? 

F. — The elder James, who was the son of Zebedee and brother 
of John, was the first of the Apostles w^ho suffered martyrdom. 
He was slain at Jerusalem, as before stated, by Herod Agrippa, 
about the year 44. 

S. — Of what country were the sons of Zebedee ? 

F. — They were native Galileans, born at Capernaum, or Beth- 
saida. Like Andrew and Peter, they were fishermen, and seem to 
have inherited more worldly substance than the rest of the Apos- 
tles. John had a home at Jerusalem, to which, after the cruci- 
fixion, he took the mother of our Lord, and nourished her as long 
as she lived. James and John, together with Peter, were among 
the more favored disciples of Christ, whom he called "sons of 
thunder," and whom he admitted to a peculiar intimacy and priv- 
ileges. These alone were allowed to go with him when he raised 
the daughter of the ruler of the synagogue, when he went into the 
mount of transfiguration, and when he fell into that dreadful agony 
in the garden of Gethsemane. These sons of Zebedee, though true 
and loving disciples, were not wholly divested of a worldly spirit ; 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 493 

witness the request of their mother for them, — made, no doubt, 
with their concurrence, — that they might sit, the one on liis right 
hand, and the other on his left, in his kingdom ; witness also their 
unchristian proposal to call down fire from heaven upon the inhos- 
pitable Samaritans. 

S. — What has the church of Rome to say of James 'the elder ? 

F. — She has many traditions as to his missionary labors, after the 
ascension of Christ ; but we have no proof that any of them are 
true. The Apostles lingered about Jerusalem for several years 
after the crucifixion, and probably James was with them. It is not 
likely that he ever traveled, as a missionary, out of Palestine. He 
died early, as I said, and was buried at or near Jerusalem. The 
Romanists pretend that, after several hundred years, his remains 
were disinterred and carried into Spain ; but this is as improbable 
as most of their other legends. 

IV. PHILIP. 

S, — There were two Philips among the early followers of Christ, 
the one an Apostle, and the other a deacon — afterwards an evan- 
gelist : How much is known of Philip the Apostle ? 

F. — He was born at Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter, 
and had the honor to be the first who was expressly called to 
become a disciple of Christ. Very soon he finds Nathaniel, and 
invites him to become a fellow disciple. From this time, Philip 
was a steady and consistent follower of Christ, though not much is 
said of him in the gospels. It was to Philip that our Lord pro- 
pounded the question, when surrounded by famishing multitudes, 
"Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?" (John vi. 5). 
It was to him that the Grecian Jews, or proselytes, who came up to 
Jerusalem to the Passover, addressed themselves, when desiring to 
see Jesus (John xii. 21). It was with him that our Lord had a 
discourse, when about to enter on his scene of suffering : " Philip 
saith unto him. Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us. 
Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet 



494 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

hast thou not known me, Philip ? He that hath seen me, hath 
seen the Father" (John xiv. 8). 

S. — After the resurrection of Christ, what do we learn respecting 
Philip ? 

F. — The probability is, that he remained several years at Jeru- 
salem with the other Apostles. And when he departed, we have 
no reliable information as to the region of country to which he 
withdrew. It is generally thought that he visited the northern 
parts of Asia Minor, and died at Hierapolis, in Phrygia. Fables 
Ave have in abundance respecting his labors, sufferings, and martyr- 
dom ; but they were got up at too late a period, and contain too 
many silly stories, to be worth repeating. 

Y. NATHANAEL. 

aS'. — Nathanael was early invited to become a follower of Christ : 
How did he treat the invitation ? 

F. — He immediately consented. And when Jesus saw him com- 
ing, he said : " Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile." 
Nathanael, like most of the other Apostles, was a Galilean. His 
home, we are told, was at Cana of Galilee (John xxi. 2). Nathan- 
ael is also called Bartholomew, i. e. the son of Tholomew, and is 
always mentioned in connection Avith Philip, indicating that they 
were special friends. We hear little of this Apostle in the sacred 
history, and have not the means of tracing him, Avith certainty, 
after the dispersion of the Apostles from Jerusalem. Tradition 
says that he traveled as far as the hither India, and left there a 
copy of MatthcAv's Gospel, AAdiich Avas found long after by a mis- 
sionary. From India he returned, and joined his friend Philip, at 
Hierapolis in Phrygia. After the death of Philip, he passed into 
Armenia, where he laid down his life. 

YI. MATTHEW, ALSO CALLED LEYI. 

S. — Where was the home of MatthcAv? 

F. — It Avas at, or near Capernaum in Galilee. He Avas the son of 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 495 

Alpheus, though not the Alpheus who was the father of James and 
Jucle (Matt. ii. 14). He Avas a publican or tax-gatherer, whose 
business it was to collect and pay over the tribute-money to the 
governor. These publicans were peculiarly odious to the Jews, 
first, because they were, in general, rapacious and oppressive ; then 
the tribute itself, being a token of subjection, Avas an offense to the 
Jew; and, thirdly, their office brought them so much in contact 
with Gentiles, that a strict Jew would hardly own them as belong- 
ing to his people. Hence, to the ears of the Jew, "publicans and 
sinners" were synonymous terms, and they were regarded as the 
vilest of mankind. Yet Matthew, though a native Jew, was a pub- 
lican. His office was lucrative, and he was rich. At an early period 
in his public ministry, as Jesus walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw 
Matthew sitting in his office, receiving the tribute money ; and he 
said unto him, " Folloiv meT And Matthew rose up at once, left 
his office, his money-changing, his worldly business, the grand 
source of his wealth and honor, and became a folloAver of Christ. 
We have hardly an instance of more prompt obedience, and of 
apparently greater self-denial, in the Bible. To do honor to the 
Savior, and show that he was not dissatisfied with the decision to 
which he had come, he invited our Lord and his disciples to dine 
with him, in company with several of his own profession. At this, 
the Pharisees were offended, and gave vent to their pride and scorn 
by saying, " How is it that he eateth with publicans and sinners ? " 

S. — Do we hear much of Matthew during our Savior's public 
ministry ? 

E. — We do not. After the resurrection and ascension of Christ, 
he remained for a time, with the other Apostles, in the vicinity of 
Jerusalem. It was here that he wrote his Gospel — the first that 
was written. The tradition is, that he wrote his Gospel in Hebrew, 
and that it was early translated into Greek. I cannot go into this 
question here, nor do I think it one of great importance. If our 
Greek copies are a translation, it is certain that the translation was 
made under the eye of the Apostles, and under the inspiration of 



496 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

the Holy Ghost. There was a Hebrew copy of Matthew's Gospel 
among the early Christians ; but this, falling into the hands of the 
Ebionites, and being by them garbled and interpolated, lost all 
credit in the church. 

aS'. — Do we know where Matthew traveled after leaving Judea^ 
and where he ended his daj's ? 

F. — We do not. Amidst a crowd of legendary tales, the truth 
is irrecoverably lost. 

VII. THOMAS. 

S. — Among the Apostles of Christ was Thomas, also called 
Didymus, or the twin : What can you say of him ? 

F. — He was probably a Galilean and a fisherman, like most of the 
other Apostles, though of this we are not certified in the Scriptures. 
During the ministry of Christ, Thomas was rather a listener than 
an active speaker. We have but few notices of him in the Gospels. 
When our Savior would not be dissuaded by any considerations of 
personal danger from going into the vicinity of Jerusalem to raise 
Lazarus from the dead, Thomas said, " Let us also go, that we may 
die Avith him," — intimating not only his fears for the safety of his 
Master, but that he was willing to stand by him to the end. In his 
parting address to his disciples, our Lord assured them that he was 
going to prepare a place for them ; and then added, " Whither I 
go ye know, and the way ye know." Thomas said unto him, 
" Lord, we know not whither thou goest, and how can we know the 
way ? " To this Jesus answered, " I am the way, and the truth, and 
the life. No man cometh unto the Father but by me." 

S. — After the resurrection, what do we hear of Thomas ? 

F. — He was slow to believe in the resurrection of Christ, even 
after he had been seen by the other Apostles. " Except I shall see 
in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print 
of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe." 
So at our Lord's next appearance to his disciples, he furnished 
Thomas the very test which he had required. He caused him to 
put his finger into the print of the nails, and to thrust his hand into 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE, 497 

his side. The incredulity of Thomas was overcome, and he could 
only exclaim, " My Lord and my God ! " 

S. — Upon the dispersion of the Apostles from Jerusalem, where 
did Thomas go ? 

F. — He is said to have gone into the East, as far as India. There 
is this evidence that Thomas did preach the gospel in India, that 
there is still a large body of Christians there which bear his name. 
They were found by the Portuguese, and were visited by Dr. 
Buchanan early in the present century. He received from them 
a copy of the Syrian Scriptures, and was gratified to find that it 
agreed almost entirely with our own.* 

♦Buchanan's Researchea, p. 186. 



CONVERSATION YII. 

LIVES OF THE APOSTLES Continued.— Simon Zelotes.— His supposed mission.— 
Jude. — His labors and Avork among the Gentiles. — Matthias. — Taken in place of Judas. — 
James the Less. — Claimed to be a brother of Christ. — Objections to this. — John. — His 
labors and travels. — Traditions. — Interesting incident in his life. 

VIII. SIMON ZELOTES. 

Son. — Why was Simon called Zelotes^ or the Zealot? 

Father. — It may have been to distinguish him from Simon Peter ; 
or he may have belonged, before conversion, to the sect of Zealots — 
a sect which became very troublesome in the last days of the Jew- 
ish state. He is also called the Cananite (not Canaanite^, a word of 
Hebrew origin, synonymous with Zealot. He was undoubtedly a 
Jew, though we know not the place of his birth. Being invested 
with the apostolical office, no further mention is made of him in the 
apostolical history. Nor do we know what parts of the world he 
visited after the dispersion of the Apostles. Some think he went 
into Africa, and afterwards to Britain and the Western Islands ; 
others tell us that he went to Mesopotamia. That he w^as a faith- 
ful, useful man Ave have no reason to doubt ; but the latter part of 
his life, so far as reliable history is concerned, is a blank. 

IX. JUDE. 

S. — With whom was the Apostle Jude connected? 

F. — The Apostle Jude, — also called Lebbeus and Thaddeus, — 
was the brother of James the Less ; and both were the sons of 
Alpheus, sometimes called Cleopas, and of Mary, a sister of our 
Lord's mother. Cleopas, according to Eusebius, was a brother of 
Joseph. They had three sons whose names are given in the 
gospels, viz., James, Joses and Jude. Tradition has given them 
another son, Simeon, who was the first pastor or bishop of Jeru- 
salem. These sons were cousins of our Lord — perhaps double 
cousins. 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 499 

aS'. — Do we hear much of Jude in the gospels ? 

F. — ^Ve do not. The following is the only question proposed by 
Jude to his Master : " How is it that thou Avilt manifest thyself 
to us, and not unto the world?" Jesus answered him, "If a man 
love me, he Avill keep my words ; and my Father will love him, and 
we will come to him, and make our abode with him." 

S. — Upon the dispersion of the Apostles, where did Jude go ? 

F. — He is said to have been sent to Agbarus, king of Edessa, 
where he wrought miracles, preached the gospel, and converted 
Agbarus and his people to the faith. For this, the king offered 
him a large reward, which he refused, saying, that he had no occa- 
sion to receive from others what he had long before relinquished on 
his own behalf. Jude seems to have had a family; for near the 
close of the first century, two of his grandsons were brought before 
Domitian, as being of the lineage of David, from which stock the 
emperor feared that some one would arise claiming to be king of 
the Jews. But w^hen he saw that they were poor, humble, laboring 
men, he dismissed his fears on their account, and sent them back to 
their own country. 

S. — Is Jude the author of the Epistle which bears his name ? 

F. — He is. The genuineness of this Epistle was doubted by some 
in the ancient church, but w^e see no good reason for it. Its princi- 
pal design is to expose certain enemies of the truth, — "ungodly 
men, w^ho had crept into the churches unawares, turning the grace 
of God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God and our 
Lord Jesus Christ." 

X. INLATXHIAS. 

S. — ^Matthias was not an original Apostle, but was divinely desig- 
nated to take the place of Judas Iscariot : Please give us some 
account of that transaction. 

F. — His appointment was one of the first acts of the assembled 
Apostles, after their return from the ascension of Christ. We 
haA^e a succinct account of the whole transaction, with the 
reasons and the manner of it, in the first chapter of the Acts. It 



500 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

appears that Matthias, though not before an Apostle, was one of 
those who had companied with the disciples during the whole public 
ministry of Christ, and consequently was a most suitable person to 
be ordained, with the other Apostles, to be a witness for him. He 
was designated to this high office by lot, and afterwards was num- 
bered with the eleven Apostles. 

S. — Have we any knowledge of his labors after his appoint- 
ment? 

F. — We have not. He is commonly thought to have received 
the crown of martyrdom about the j^ear 64 ; but it is not certain 
that he was a martyr at all. As we hear no evil of him, we may 
hope that he fulfilled as a hireling his day, and has long since 
gone to his reward. 

XI. JAINIES THE LESS. 

S. — "We have seen that James the Less was the brother of Jude, 
and the son of Cleopas and Mary: Do we hear much of him 
in the Gospels ? 

_F.— We frequently hear of the other James, but not of James 
the Less. 

S. — Where did he reside subsequent to Christ's ascension? 

F. — Chiefly at Jerusalem, and seems to have had the oversight 
of that mother church. To him Peter sent the news of his deliv- 
erance from prison. " Go, show these things unto James, and to 
the brethren " (Acts xii. 17). He was at Jerusalem at the time 
of the conference respecting the circumcision of Gentile converts, 
and delivered the final decision concerning it (Acts xv. 19). He 
was there, when Paul went up to Jerusalem for the last time 
before he was sent to Rome (Acts xxi. 18). Indeed, he seems 
not to have left Jerusalem, but was barbarously murdered there, 
in extreme old age, by the Scribes and Pharisees. He was thrown 
from the temple, and then stoned, and his brains were beat out 
by a fuller's club. Josephus thinks that the miseries which after- 
wards befell the Jewish nation were brought upon them in retri- 
bution for their treatment of James. " These things happened 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 501 

unto tliem bj way of avenging the death of James the Just ; for 
the Jews slew him, though a very just man."* 

S. — It has been thought by some that, while James and Jude, 
the sons of Cleopas and Mary, were Apostles of Christ, the James 
who resided so long at Jerusalem, who wrote the Epistle, and of 
whom we hear so much in the Acts and the Epistles of Paul, was 
not the Apostle James, but James a son of Joseph, if not of Mary, 
and a literal brother of our Lord : What is your opinion on this 
question ? 

F. — I dissent from the views to which jom refer, and for the fol- 
lowing reasons : 

1. It is said of Christ's literal brothers, — and at a late period in 
his public ministry, that they did not believe on him (John vii. 5). 
They may have become believers afterwards ; but the fact that 
Jesus did not commit his mother to them, but to John, is evidence 
that, at the time of the crucifixion, they and their mother were not 
in full sympathy on the subject of religion. And, 

2. The manner in which the James Avho dwelt at Jerusalem is 
spoken of in the Acts, and in the Epistles of Paul, shows that he 
must have been an Apostle. It was he who presided, as I just said, 
at the convention at Jerusalem, and pronounced the decision on 
the question of circumcising the Gentiles. Then when Paul went 
up to Jerusalem to see Peter, he says, " Other of the Apostles saw 
I none, save James, the Lord's brother." This shows that the 
James whom he did see was an Apostle. At his next visit to Jeru- 
salem, Paul saw there " James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to he 
pillar s^^' — a proof again that James was not only an Apostle, but a 
distinguished Appstle, — as much so as Peter and John. I con- 
clude, therefore, that the James who resided at Jerusalem, and 
wrote the Epistle, was no other than the Apostle James. He was 
not a literal brother of our Lord, but a cousin, and on this account 
is sometimes called the Lord's brother. Several instances occur in 
the Scriptures of this use of the term brother, among the Jews. 

*Antiq., Book xx. Chap. 9. 



502 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

XII. JOHN. 

S. — We have heard something of John already. He was a Gali- 
lean, the son of Zebedee and Salome, and a younger brother of the 
first James, with whom he was trained to be a fisherman. He was 
called to be a disciple at the same time with James, and in the gos- 
pels they are usually mentioned together : How was he regarded 
by his Lord and Master ? 

F. — He seems to have been peculiarly dear to Christ. He is 
spoken of as " the disciple whom Jesus loved." He was not only 
one of the three whom our Savior admitted to the more private 
passages of his life, but, in some instances, a special kindness was 
shown him. He lay on the Savior's breast at the paschal supper ; 
and when Peter wished to know which of the disciples was to be 
the traitor, instead of asking the question himself, he beckoned to 
John to put it for him. John was more constant to his Master 
than any of the disciples at the time of his trial and crucifixion ; 
for, though he fled from him at the fi^rst, he soon recovered him- 
self and returned. He boldly entered the high priest's palace ; 
followed his Master through the several parts of his trial ; and 
was the only Apostle, so far as we know, who stood by him 
through the terrible scene of his crucifixion. Here it was that 
his suffering Lord committed to him his blessed mother : " Woman, 
behold thy son ; disciple, behold thy mother." And from that 
hour, John took her to his own home, and made her, to the end of 
life, the special object of his charge and care. 

S. — Where was John on the morning of the resurrection ? 

F. — He and Peter were the first of the Apostles to run to the 
empty sepulchre. He recognized his risen Lord even sooner than 
Peter, at the sea of Galilee. After the ascension of Christ, he was 
with Peter when he went up to the temple, and healed the poor 
cripple. They were apprehended and imprisoned together, and 
the next day were brought out to plead their cause before the 
Sanhedrim. These were the two disciples who went to Samaria to 
assist Philip, in the great revival which had sprung up there. It 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 503 

was to Peter, James, and John, — still residing at Jerusalem, and 
seeming to be pillars, that Paul, many years later, addressed him- 
self; and they, seeing the grace which God had imparted unto 
him, gave him the right hand of fellowship. 

S. — Where did John reside, chiefly, after the ascension ? 

F. — He lived at Jerusalem, till the death of the Lord's mother 
— some fifteen to twenty years — when he migrated into Asia 
Minor, and exercised his ministry there. Several churches were 
formed by him, but his principal residence was at Ephesus. He 
seems not to have been molested during the Neronian persecution, 
in which Peter and Paul were put to death ; but in the subsequent 
persecution, under Domitian, — which occurred about the year 96, 
— he was arrested, brought to Rome, and thence banished to 
Patmos, a desolate island in the JEgean sea. The story told by 
Tertullian, of his having been previously throAvn into a caldron of 
boiling oil and coming out unharmed, is now generally discarded. 

aS'. — What was John's experience on the isle of Patmos ? 

F. — It was here that he had those remarkable visions and revela- 
tions recorded in the Apocalypse. 

S. — Some tell us that John was banished, not under Domitian 
near the close of the first century, but under Nero, some thirty 
years earlier : What is your opinion on this subject ? 

F. — That John was banished under Domitian, and not under 
Nero, is an important fact in the interpretation of the Apocalypse ; 
for in the time of Domitian, Jerusalem had long been destroyed ; 
and, consequently, none of John's predictions could have looked 
forward, as some pretend, to its destruction. They must portend 
other calamities about to fall on the enemies of the church. 

That John was really banished under Domitian is proved by 
the almost uniform testimony of the early Christians. It is also 
proved from the Apocalypse itself, as has been shown by numerous 
commentators. 

S. — Was John released from banishment and restored to the 
churches before his death? 



504 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

F. — He was. Domitian Avas assassinated at Rome in the year 
96, and Nerva succeeded him. He rescinded the cruel edicts 
of his predecessor, and recalled those from banisli^iient whom 
Domitian had driven away. Taking advantage of this liberty, 
John left the isle of Patmos, and returned to Ephesus. Here he 
wrote his Gospel, which was designed to refute the errors of the 
times, and to supply what the other Evangelists had omitted. The 
Apocalypse he is supjDOsed to have written on the island. He also 
left three Epistles, which are thought to have been written before 
his banishment. 

S. — How long did John live ? 

F. — He lived to the time of Trajan, near the close of the first 
century, and was almost a hundred years old at his death. As to 
the manner of his death, the fathers are not agreed. Some tell us 
that he died a martyr ; while others think that he did not die at 
all. He was either translated, like Enoch and Elijah, or concealed 
himself for a time, to be again manifested. 

S. — Do the fathers relate any incidents respecting John, after his 
return from banishment, which are likely to be true ? 

F. — Yes ; Eusebius relates that, before his banishment, he had 
committed a beloved young man to the bishop of Ephesus, with 
a charge to train him up for him. On his return, he found that 
the bishop had neglected his charge, and that the young man had 
become a robber in the mountains. The venerable Apostle went 
in pursuit of him, found him, brought him to rej^entance, and 
restored him to the church. 

Irenseus tells us that, as John was going one day to the bath, 
he learned that the heretic Cerinthus was in the building, " Let 
us flee from this place," said the aged Apostle, "lest the bath in 
which there is such an enemy of the truth should fall upon us, 
and crush us together." 

In his last days, when the venerable man could no longer 
preach, or even walk to the place of meeting, he used to be carried 
there, and would repeat from time to time, "Little children, love 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 505 

one another.*' When asked why he always gave the same exhorta- 
tion, he replied : " Such is the command of Christ ; and this duty, 
if faithfully performed, is enough." 

Thus lovingly and peacefully passed away the last of the twelve 
original Apostles, — a noble, venerable band of men, honored by 
the Savior's selection and personal instructions while he was 3^et 
with them, and left as the depositaries of his truth, and founders 
of the churches of the new dispensation, when he was removed to 
his throne in heaven. 



CONVERSATION Till. 

LIFE OF THE APOSTLE PAUL.— A Jew and also a Roman citizen.— His education. 
— His persecution of Christians. — His conversion. — Enters immediately upon t^e work 
of the Christian ministry. — Miracles and cures performed. — Astonishment of the 
people. — Stoned by the mob — An important question settled. — First great controversy 
in the Christian church. — Peter rebuked by Paul. 

Son. — There was yet another Apostle, called as it were out of 
due time, and commissioned to preach the gospel to the Gentiles, — 
I mean Paul. You will not fail to give us some account of him. 

Father. — Paul was, as he tells us, " a Hebrew of the Plebrews," 
and was born at Tarsus, the chief city of Cilicia. Tarsus had been 
made b}^ Augustus a free city, which constituted its native inhab- 
itants citizens of Rome. This privilege P^ul pleaded more than 
once in times of persecution, and thus escaped inflictions \\hicl?. 
otherwise he might have suffered. 

S. — What was the education of Paul ? 

F. — He was instructed at Tarsus in Grecian and classic learning. 
Like every other Jew, he had a mechanical trade. He was a tent- 
maker, and often followed his trade, and by it supplied his own 
personal wants, during his Apostolical ministry. Having passed 
through the prescribed courses of learning at Tarsus, Paul was 
sent by his parents to Jerusalem, and placed under the instruc- 
tion of Gamaliel, to be perfected in the study of the Jewish law. 
He early attached himself to the Pharisees — the straitest and most 
illiberal of the Jewish sects. He was regarded by them as a youth 
of great promise, and seemed fairl}^ entitled to the highest honors 
which his nation had it in their power to bestow. 

S. — We have heard already of Paul's persecutions at Jerusalem, 
of his bloody commission to Damascus, of his miraculous conver- 
sion by the way, and of his becoming a professed follower of 
Christ. Is it likely that Paul was conscientious in his early perse- 
cutions? 

F. — I suppose that ho was, in a loose sense of the term, consci- 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 507 

entious. He was as conscientious as persecvitors generally are, — 
perhaps more so. He " verily thought that he ought to do many 
things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth." But it does 
not follow from this that he was justified in persecuting the 
church. He certainly did not think so himself afterwards. A 
warped, misguided, prejudiced conscience is one of the most dan- 
gerous guides which a man can follow. 

S. — After Paul had been baptized, what did he assay to do ? 

F. — He began to preach the gospel in the synagogues at Damas- 
cus, alleging and proving that the same Jesus, whom he had so 
lately persecuted, was the Christ of God. Amazed and con- 
founded at the change which had taken place in him, and not 
being abk to refute his words, the Jews at Damascus sought to 
destroy him. But he, being aAvare of their design, left the city, 
and retired into the northern part of Arabia, where he remained 
almost three years (Gal. i. 12). 

S. — How did Paul pass his time during this long retirement in 
Arabia ? 

F. — We do not know. Doubtless, a considerable portion of it 
was spent in meditation and devotion, in communion with Christ, 
and receiving revelations from him. It was during this period, 
that he was caught up into the third heavens — into " the Paradise 
of God, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for 
a man to utter" (2 Cor. xii. 4). It was during this period that 
he was supernaturally instructed in regard to the truths and facts 
of the gospel, which, he tells us expressly he " did not receive 
from man, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ." 

S. — On his return from Arabia, where did Paul go ? 

F. — He returned to Damascus, and commenced anew his appro- 
priate work of preaching, in the synagogues and other public 
places, the gospel of Christ. But instead of receiving his testi- 
mony, the Jews again sought his life ; and the more surely to 
effect their purpose, they complained of him to the governor, who 
placed a guard at the gates of the city to prevent all possibility 



508 CONVEKSATIONS ON THE BIBLE, 

of escape. Nevertheless, he did escape ; for, watching their oppor- 
tunity, his friends let him down through a window, in a basket, 
by the wall, and thus effected his deliverance (1 Cor. xi. 32). 

S. — Where did Paul now go ? 

F. — He went to Jerusalem, — the first time that he had been 
there since his conversion. But when he assayed to join himself 
to the disciples, many were afraid of him ; they did not believe he 
was a disciple. But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the 
Apostles, and declared unto them the fact of his conversion, and 
how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of the 
Lord Jesus. After this, he was received joyfully by the whole 
church, and began to preach Christ in the synagogues, laboring 
more especially among the foreign Jews. But instead of being 
convinced, they were enraged, and sought to kill him. He had a 
revelation, also, from his Lord and Master, warning him to depart 
quickly out of Jerusalem, and directing him to go and preach to 
the Gentiles. Accordingly, being assisted by the brethren, Paul 
departed, first to Csesarea, and afterwards to Tarsus. 

S. — Where do we next find the new Apostle ? 

F. — It was while Paul was stopping at Tarsus, his native city, 
that Barnabas came for him to go and preach at Antioch, — where 
he remained a full year. This must have been a delightful year 
to Paul. He was associated with a choice company of ministers, 
whose names are given in Acts xiii. 1. Through their instrumen- 
tality, the work of the Lord prospered greatly, and a large and 
flourishing church was established. 

aS'. — This was a year of famine in some parts ot the East, and 
the disciples at Antioch resolved to send relief to their brethren 
at Jerusalem : By whom did they send it ? 

F, — By the hands of Barnabas and Panl. This was Paul's sec- 
ond visit to Jerusalem after his conversion. 

S. — Soon after their return from Jerusalem, Paul and Barnabas 
had a call of a different kind : What was it ? 

F. — They were called of the Holy Ghost to go on their first 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 509 

mission to the heathen. So, wlien their brethren at Antioch had 
fasted, and prayed, and laid their hands upon them, they sent 
them away. 

aS'. — Where did they go ? 

F. — Going down to Seleucia, the port of Antioch, they sailed 
over to Cyprus, which was the home of Barnabas. They first 
visited Salamis, a large city in the south-eastern part of the island, 
preaching in the synagogues on the Sabbath, and visiting from 
house to house. Thence crossing to the western side of the island, 
they came to Paphos, which was the residence of Sergius Paulus, 
the proconsul of the country. And here they found a sorcerer, 
Elymas by name, who was with the proconsul, and exerted an 
unfavorable influence upon him. Nevertheless, the proconsul sent 
for Barnabas and Paul, and desired to hear from them the word of 
God ; but Elymas withstood them, hoping to turn away the pro- 
consul from the faith. Whereupon Paul, fixing his eyes upon 
him, said : " O full of ^11 subtlety and mischief, thou child of the 
devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to 
pervert the right ways of the Lord ? " And immediately the sor- 
cerer was smitten with blindness, and groped about, seeking some 
one to lead him by the hand. This miracle had a great effect upon 
the mind of the proconsul. He became a believer at once, being 
astonished at the doctrine of the Lord. 

aS'. — Leaving Cyprus, our missionaries now sailed over to Perga, 
the chief city of Pamphylia : What occurred here, and afterwards? 

F. — Here Mark left them to return to Jerusalem, and Titus, a 
converted Greek, took his place. From Perga they traveled in a 
northerly direction some seventy or eighty miles, until they came 
to Antioch in Pisidia. Here they went into the synagogue on the 
Sabbath, and Paul preached a long discourse, affirming some of the 
principal facts of the gospel liistory, proving incontestably the 
messiahship of Jesus, and solemnly warning his Jewish brethren of 
the danger of rejecting him : " Beware, lest that come upon you 
which is spoken in the prophets ! Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, 



510 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE, 

and perish ; for I Avork a work in your day which ye shall in no 
wise believe, though one declare it unto you" (Acts xiii. 40). 
This sermon produced a great effect. Many Jews and religious 
proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who exhorted them to con- 
tinue in the grace of God. Great numbers of the Gentiles, also, 
requested that the same word might be preached unto them ; and 
the next Sabbath, almost the whole city came together to hear the 
gospel. But when the Jews saw the interest which was excited, 
they were filled with envy, raised a persecution against Paul and 
Barnabas, and drove them away. So they shook off the dust of 
their feet against them, and, journeying some thirty miles in a 
south-easterly direction, came to Iconium. 

aS'. — How did they commence their labors at Iconium ? 

F. — Just as they did at Antioch, and in other places. They went 
first into the synagogue, and so spake that a great multitude of the 
Jews and proselytes believed. Thej' abode here many days, speak- 
ing boldly in the name of the Lord, and signs and miracles were 
wrought by their hands. But at length the people became divided 
respecting them, and a conspiracy was formed to assault and stone 
them. AAvare of this, they took warning and fled ; and going still 
further in a south-easterly direction, they came to Derbe and Lystra, 
cities of Lycaonia. 

aS'.- — What remarkable occurrences took place at Lystra? 

F. — Paul healed a lame man who had never walked, which so 
astonished the people, that they declared the strangers to be gods in 
the likeness of men, and were about to worship them. But Paul 
and Barnabas forbade them, saying, " Why do ye these things ? 
We are not gods, but men of like passions with yourselves, and 
preach unto you that ye should turn from all these vanities unto 
the living God, who made the heavens and the earth." This gust 
of popular favor at Lystra soon passed away ; for certain Jews from 
Iconium and Antioch came down there, and so excited the people 
against the missionaries that they stoned Paul, and drew him out of 
the city as one dead, but he soon revived, and the next day they 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 611 

departed unto Derbe. Here also they preached the gospel, and 
instructed many. 

S. — On leaving Derbe, what course did the missionaries pursue ? 

F. — They turned back through Lystra and Iconium unto Antioch 
in Pisidia, confirming the souls of. the disciples, and exhorting 
them to continue steadfast in the faith. And when they had 
ordained them elders in every church, and prayed and fasted with 
them, they commended them to the Lord in whom they believed. 
From Antioch in Pisidia, the missionaries returned to Perga, where 
they first landed when they came from Cj^prus ; and soon after they 
sailed to Antioch in Syria — to the great church which had sent 
them forth on this mission of mercy. And when they had gatliered 
the church together, they rehearsed all that God had done with 
them and by them, and how he had opened the door of faith unto 
the Gentiles ; and here they tarried with their burden and labored 
for a considerable time. 

aS'. — What controversy arose at Antioch during this interval ? 

F. — That respecting the circumcision of converted Gentiles. 
Certain Jewish believers came down from Jerusalem, and insisted 
that the Gentile converts must all of them be circumcised and keep 
the law of Moses, or they could not be saved. This demand Paul 
and Barnabas strenuously resisted; but as there seemed to be no 
prospect of settling the question there, it was determined that Paul 
and Barnabas, with Titus and certain other brethren, should go up 
to Jerusalem, and lay the case before the Apostles and the elders of 
that mother church. This was Paul's third journey to Jerusalem 
after his conversion ; in accomplishing which he and his brethren 
passed down the Mediterranean as far as Tyre, thence across the 
country to Samaria, and thence to the holy city; declaring wherever 
they went the conversion of the Gentiles, which gave great ]oj to 
all the brethren. Arrived at Jerusalem, they gathered the Apostles 
and elders and the whole church together, and submitted the very 
important question with which they were charged. After much 
discussion, in which Peter and James largely participated, it was 



512 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

decided not to enforce the yoke of circumcision and the Jewish law 
upon the Gentile converts ; and a letter was prepared and sent to 
Antioch, announcing this decision. 

S. — Did this decision end the controversy ? 

F. — It did not. The Judaizing teachers continued to agitate. 
They persisted in their demands, and were indefatigable in urging 
them. They followed Paul in his future labors, and were resolved 
to give him no peace. 

S. — This was the first great controversy in the Christian church. 
Was the subject of it of much importance ? 

F. — Yes ; it related not to the practice of circumcision as a 
mere ceremony, but to the enforcing of it as essential to salvation. 
This Paul could not admit ; and we can never be sufficiently 
thankful to the great Apostle of the Gentiles for the stand which 
he took on this occasion. 

aS^. — What other important object did Paul accomplish by this 
visit to Jerusalem ? 

F. — He had more intercourse with the original Apostles, — wdth 
Peter, James, and John, than he had had before. He compared 
notes with them, and found that he preached the same gospel as 
they: "In conference, they added nothing to me" (Gal. ii. 6). 
" And wdien they perceived the grace which was given unto me, 
they gave to me and to Barnabas the right hand of fellowship." 

aS'. — Their mission to Jerusalem being accomplished, Paul and 
Barnabas returned to Antioch : Whom did they bring with them ? 

F. — Judas and Silas, otherwise called Silvanus. They took also 
with them the decision of the church at Jerusalem, which gave 
great satisfaction to the Gentile brethren. 

S. — Not long after this, Peter came to Antioch ; and what did he 
do? 

F. — Falling in with some of the zealous Judaizers, he separated 
himself from the Gentile converts, and refused to eat with them. 
And so great was his influence, that even Barnabas was led into the 
same inconsistency. Again, then, are we indebted to the firmness 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 513 

of Paul, for withstanding the threatening evil. He calmly but 
firmly rebuked Peter and the other dissemblers, and maintained the 
position which had been taken at Jerusalem. 

S. — To what conclusion did Paul and Barnabas come, shortly 
after this ? 

F. — They resolved to visit the churches which they had planted 
among the Gentiles, and look after their state. Barnabas wished 
to take Mark with them again ; but Paul would not consent to it, 
since Mark deserted them on their former mission, and went not 
with them to the work. On this ground, the two friends now sepa- 
rated : Barnabas took Mark, and sailed over to Cyprus ; but Paul 
took Silas, a brother who had recently come with them from Jeru- 
salem, and entered on his second and far more important mission 
to the heathen. 

S. — What countries did they first visit? 

F. — They went through Syria and Cilicia confirming the churches, 
and delivering unto them copies of the late decision at Jerusalem. 
At Lystra, Paul found Timothy, a young brother in Christ, whose 
mother was a Jewish convert, but whose father was a Greek. Him 
Paul invited to accompany him on his mission ; and that he might 
encounter less prejudice among the Jews, he first circumcised him. 
From Lystra, thej' passed through Phrygia and Galatia, where Paul 
met with great acceptance, and established many churches. From 
Galatia, Paul intended to pass into Asia Minor, and there preach 
the gospel, but he was directed by the Spirit to cross the ^gean 
into Macedonia. So sailing from Troas, he came to Philippi, one 
of the chief cities of Macedonia, and a colony. This was Paul's 
first entrance into Europe. At Philippi, he baptized Lydia and the 
jailer with their households, and established a flourishing church. 
But being persecuted without cause, he departed from Philippi and 
came to Thessalonica, another large city in Macedonia. Here Paul 
went into the synagogue, and for three successive Sabbaths, reasoned 
with the Jews out of their own Scriptures, opening and alleging 
"that Christ must suffer, and rise from the dead, and that Jesus 



514 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

of Nazareth is the Christ." And many, both Jews and Gentiles, 
believed, and the materials of a church were soon gathered. But 
the unbelieving Jews stirred up the people, set the city in an 
uproar, and constrained the missionaries to depart. 

They next w^ent to Berea, a neighboring city, and commenced 
preaching the gospel there. And the Berean Jews were more 
liberal than those of Thessalonica ; for they received the word with 
all readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptures daily Avhether 
these things were so. The consequence was, that many were con- 
verted, both Jews and Greeks. But when the Thessalonian Jews 
heard that the Bereans had embraced the truth, they came down 
there, and created a tumult, and made it necessary for Paul to 
depart. So, leaving Silas and Timothy at Berea, he went on to 
Athens, the great seat and center of Grecian art and wisdom. 

S. — How did Paul busy himself at Athens ? 

F. — He took a survey of the city, preached in the synagogue, 
and conversed with the philosophers ; and as he was found to hold 
some novel opinions, they took him to the Areopagus, — an Athe- 
nian court designed to look into such matters. And here he deliv- 
ered his celebrated speech on Mars Hill — one of the finest 
specimens of popular oratory to be found in all antiquity. His 
success in Athens, however, Avas small. These proud philosophers 
were not in a mood to receive instruction from a traveling Jcav. 
A few only adhered to him, among whom were Dionysius, the 
Areopagite, and a noble lady named Damaris. 

aS^ — Where do we next find Paul and his companions ? 

F. — Leaving Athens, Paul Avent to Corinth, the metropolis of 
Greece proper, and the residence of the proconsul of Achaia. 
Here he found Priscilla and Aquila, lately come from Italy, 
because that Claudius Csesar had banished all the Jcavs from 
Rome. With them Paul resided, and Avrought Avith them in the 
business of tent-making. He assembled Avith the Jews every Sab- 
bath in the synagogue, and testified to them that Jesus is the 
Christ. And though some fcAV of them received his testimony, 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 515 

the multitude rejected it, opposing and blaspheming the doctrine 
of the Lord. Wherefore Paul shook his raiment, forsook the 
synagogue, and commenced preaching to the Gentiles. At the 
same time, he was encouraged by a vision of Christ, who said to 
him : " Be not afraid ; hold not thy peace ; for I am with thee, 
and no man shall hurt thee ; for I have much people in this city." 
So Paul continued at Corinth a year and six months, teaching 
and publishing the word of the Lord. In this time, a large church 
was established, which continued to flourish for a long period. 
The Jews endeavored to excite against him the displeasure of 
Gallio, the proconsul ; but Gallio would not listen to them, and 
the work of the Lord continued to prosper. 

After leaving Corinth, Paul sailed into Asia, that he might be 
present at the coming Passover in Jerusalem. This was his 
fourth visit to the holy city, after his conversion ; and here we 
leave his history for the present, to be resumed in our nexi 
conversation. 



CONYERSATION IX. 

LIFE OF THE APOSTLE PAUL Continued.— Eiot of the silver-smiths. — Their 
business of idol-making in danger. — Farewell to Ephesus. — Return to Jerusalem. — 
Visit to the house of James. — Paul's artifice and the evil results. — Rescued from danger 
by Roman soldiers. — Paul before Felix and Agrippa.— A noble speech. — Shipwreck. — 
Paul at Rome. — His death. 

Son. — In our last conversation, we followed Paul through his sec- 
ond long and perilous missionary tour, in which he not only visited 
the churches before planted by him, but passed over into Macedonia 
and Greece. On his return to Asia, he landed at Csesarea, in 
Palestine, and hastened forward to Jerusalem, to be present at the 
Passover. Did he spend much time at Jerusalem on this visit ? 

Father. — He did not ; for we soon find him at Antioch in Syria, 
and among the churches he had before planted in Phrygia and 
Galatia. From there, — in fulfillment of a promise previously 
made, — he went to Ephesus. And here he found disciples, who 
seem not to have heard of the coming of Christ, or .the descent 
of the Holy Ghost, knowing only the doctrine and baptism of 
John. These Paul took under his special charge, instructed them, 
baptized them, laid his hands upon them, and they received the 
Hoi}' Ghost in his miraculous influences. 

S. — How did Paul conduct his labors at Ephesus, and how 
long was he there ? 

F. — In his public labors at Ephesus, Paul pursued his usual 
course. He went into the synagogue every Sabbath for three 
months, endeavoring to convince and persuade the Jews ; but the 
most of them becoming hardened and obstinate, he departed from 
them, and went to the Gentiles. He taught two full years in the 
school-room of one Tyrannus; so that all those of lesser Asia 
heard the word of the Lord. And not only did he teach, but he 
wrought the most astounding miracles ; for if only a handkerchief 
from his hand were carried to a sick person, or to one possessed 
with a devil, immediately he was healed. 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 517 

There was a great revival of religion at Ephesus. Many be- 
lieved on the Lord Jesus, and made an open confession of their 
sins ; and many of those who used magical arts, brought their 
books together and burned them. So mightily grew the word of 
God and prevailed. But the devil could not be easy to see his 
kingdom thus rudely assailed. So he stirred up the silver-smiths 
which made shrines for Diana, insisting that the new religion 
would ruin their business. And they got up a mob and an 
uproar, from which Paul and his companions thought it prudent to 
retire. 

aS'. — On leaving Ephesus, where did Paul and his assistants go ? 

I\ — They crossed over the sea to Macedonia, leaving Timothy 
behind to attend to some matters which, in the hurry of their 
departure, they had not time to finish. 

S. — How was Paul employed while in Macedonia ? 

F. — He not only visited the cities where he had before preached, 
but he went beyond them, even unto the borders of lUyricum and 
Thrace (Rom. xv. 19). 

aS'. — From Macedonia, where did Paul go ? 

F. — He visited Corinth, and abode there three months. He was 
now urging forward his collections for the poor saints at Jeru- 
salem. 

aS'. — Having finished his collections, and got in readiness to 
leave for the holy city, what course did Paul take ? 

F. — It had been his intention to pass directly over from Corinth 
into Syria ; but when he learned that the Jews were lying in wait 
for him, — perhaps to rob him of his money, — he resolved to turn 
back through Macedonia. 

S. — Who accompanied the Apostle in these journeyings ? 

F. — He was attended by several young men, who waited upon 
him, executed his orders, and aided him in the work of the minis- 
try. They were, in most instances, his pupils and evangelists, 
whom he was training for usefulness in the church, when his own 
labors should cease. Among those who were with him at this 



518 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

time, were Aristarchus, Secundus, Gains, Timotheus, Trophimus, 
Tjcliicus, and Lnke, the beloved physician. 

S. — On leaving Macedonia, where did Panl and his company go ? 

F. — They sailed over to Troas, making the voj^age in five days. 
At Troas they tarried seven days. It was here that Paul preached 
until midnight, when a young man in his sleep fell from the third 
loft, and was taken up for dead. He was not dead, however, but 
was presently restored through the instrumentality of Paul. 
The next day, Paul and his companions sailed down the coast 
and came to Miletus. Not having time to stop at Ephesus, Paul 
sent for the elders of the Ephesian church to meet him at Miletus. 
They did so ; and it was here that he delivered to them that 
touching farewell address and charge, which is recorded in the 
twentieth chapter of the Acts. Leaving Miletus, Paul came to 
Tj^re, and thence to Csesarea in Palestine, Avhere they lodged in 
the house of Philip the evangelist, who was originally one of the 
seven deacons. Philip had four daughters endowed with the gift 
of prophecy, who warned Paul of the danger of going to Jerusa- 
lem. But he would not be dissuaded. To him the point of duty 
was clear, and his resolution was fixed. So he went forward to 
the holy city, and was kindly received by brethren there. Indeed, 
he ought to be kindly received ; for this was his second visit to 
Jerusalem, bringing presents from the Gentile churches for the 
relief of the poor. 

aS'. — On coming to Jerusalem, whom did Paul first visit? 

F. — He went to the house of James, where he found the elders 
of the church assembled. He gave them an account of his mis- 
sionary labors and successes, in which they were greatly inter- 
ested. But the question at once arose, " How is Paul to be dis- 
posed of here at Jerusalem ? How are we to satisfy the thousands 
of Jewish believers, who are all zealous of the law, that he is 
not, as he is charged, a disorderly walker, and a despiser of the 
institutions of Moses ? " To meet this difficulty, the following 
expedient was proposed : " We have four men which have a vow 



r^ 




CONVEMSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 521 

upon them ; purify thyself with them, and be at charges, and 
shave thy beard, that all may know that the things reported o| 
thee are false, but that thou walkest orderly, and keepest the law." 
To this proposition Paul consented. He purified himself with 
the men under a vow, and entered into the temple with them to 
accomplish the seven days of purification, that an offering might 
be made for each of them. 

>S'. — Did Paul do right in this instance ? 

F. — With all due deference, I must be allowed to say, that I 
think the Apostle, for once, mistook the line of duty. Instead of 
keeping about his business, and putting his trust in God, he 
descended, at the suggestion of others, to what looks like a 
specious artifice, aMrick, with a view to satisfy the Jews that he 
was a more strict observer of the law than he really was. And 
soon the event proved that this very artifice, which was resorted 
to, to save him from trouble, was the means of plunging him into 
it. For, when the days of his purification were almost ended, 
certain Jews from Asia Minor, seeing him in the temple, stirred up 
the people, and laid hands on him, crying out, " Men of Israel help ! 
This is the man who preaches everywhere against this holy place 
and the law." And the whole city^was moved, and the people ran 
together. They dragged Paul out of the temple, fell to beating 
him, and would have killed him, had he not been rescued by the 
chief captain of the temple — a Roman Military officer — and his 
soldiers. The chief captain took Paul, bound him, and was in the 
act of carrying him into the castle Antonia, which stood near the 
temple ; but when he came upon the stairs, Paul asked and ob- 
tained permission to address the people. And here he delivered to 
the excited multitude, in the Hebrew tongue, one of his most 
eloquent and powerful speeches, recorded in the twenty -second 
chapter of Acts. He spoke of his birth, of his education at the 
feet of Gamaliel, of his zeal in persecuting the church, of his 
sudden and surprising conversion, and of the commission he had 
received to preach the gospel to the Gentiles. They heard him 



522 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

patiently till he came to this point — the preaching of the gospel 
to the Gentiles — when they broke out upon him with great vio- 
lence, crying, " Away with this fellow from the earth ; for it is not 
meet that he should live ! " 

S. — What did the chief captain do in this emergency ? 

F, — He took Paul into the castle, and was about to examine him 
by scourging ; but Paul pleaded his Roman citizenship, and so 
escaped the infliction. The next day, the chief captain brought 
Paul before the Jewish rulers, that he might know what were their 
charges against him ; but the assembly broke up in confusion, with- 
out coming to any decision. The next night, Paul was favored 
with a vision of his ascended Lord, who stood b}^ him and said, 
"Be of good cheer, Paul; for as thou hast testified of me at Jeru- 
salem, so thou must bear witness at Rome." 

When the captain of the temple learned the next morning that 
the Jews were lying in wait for Paul, and that more than forty of 
them had bound themselves, with an oath, not to eat or drink till 
they had killed him, he resolved, at once, that he would send him 
away, under a strong military guard, to Felix, the Roman governor, 
who dwelt at Csesarea. And all this was successfully accomplished. 
Paul was safel}^ lodged in Herod's judgment hall at Csesarea, wait- 
ing for his accusers to come and implead him. 

aS'. — Did they come ? 

F. — Yes ; and Paul boldly confronted them, and refuted their 
false, and malicious charges. Here he preached so pointedly to 
Felix of righteousness, temperance, and a judgment to come, that 
the governor trembled. Still, Paul was not released. He was 
retained a prisoner in the expectation that he would ere long con- 
sent to purchase his libert}' with a bribe. 

S. — How long was Paul a prisoner here? 

F. — Two years and more. At the end of two years, Felix was 
displaced by Nero, and Pontius Festus was made governor in his 
room. To him the Jewish rulers made an earnest appeal, entreat^ 
ing that Paul might be sent back to Jerusalem, to be tried accord- 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 523 

ing to the Jewish law. When the governor laid this proposition 
before Paul, he firmly replied : '' I stand at Csesar's judgment seat, 
where I ought to be judged. I have done nothing against the Jews 
worthy of death or of bonds ; and I will not be delivered into their 
hands. / appeal unto Ccesar. Then F'estus answered, " Hast thou 
appealed unto Csesar ? Unto Caesar shalt thou go." 

S. — Before whom did Paul next plead his cause ? 

F. — Before King Agrippa, who had come down to Csesarea to 
salute Festus. Festus brought before him the case of Paul, and the 
king expressed a desire to hear him. So Paul was brought before 
the king, the governor, and all the nobility of the province, and 
there made a speech — an apology for himself. This speech is given 
entire in the twen^-sixth chapter of the Acts, and has been justly 
regarded as one of the finest specimens of popular eloquence. The 
result was, that King Agrippa was almost persuaded to be a Chris- 
tian ; and all Avere agreed that Paul might be set at liberty, had he 
not appealed unto Caesar. 

S, — We come now to Paul's voyage into Italy : Please state 
some of the leading incidents of it. 

F. — He was accompanied by Luke and other Christian friends ; 
also by other prisoners. The prisoners, among whom was Paul, 
were entrusted to the charge of a centurion whose name was Justus. 
They embarked early in September, and, sailing northerly, touched 
at Sidon, where Paul was permitted to go ashore, and visit his 
friends. Thence they passed by the eastern end of Cj'prus, not far 
from Antioch in Syria ; then turning their course w^estward, they 
sailed along the borders of Cilicia and Pamplwlia to Myra, a city of 
Lycia. Here they were put aboard of another vessel ; and, coast- 
ing along the shores of Asia, they came as far as Cnidus, opposite 
the island of Rhodes. A contrary wind now arose, which drove 
them, in a south-westerly direction, upon the isle of Crete. They 
touched at Fairhaven, on the eastern shore of Crete, and Paul 
advised them to winter there ; but, as the harbor was not com- 
modious, it was resolved to sail a hundred miles further, to Phenice, 



524 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE, 

on the south-western shore of the island. But no sooner had they 
embarked, than they encountered a tempestuous whid which ren- 
dered the ship wholly unmanageable; and so they were tossed 
about, without sun or stars, not knowing which way they were 
drifting, for a long time. After about fourteen days, they were 
wrecked on the island of Melita, now Malta, having been driven, in 
a westerly direction, across the entire Adriatic sea. 

S. — How long were the ship's company detained at Malta ? 

F. — About three months, in which time Paul healed many that 
were sick, and did all in his power to inculcate and commend the 
gospel. They at length embarked in a ship of Alexandria ; and 
having touched at Syracuse, and then at Rhegium, they left the 
ship at Puteoli, where they tarried with Christian brethren seven 
days. Thence they pursued their journey by land, and were met 
and cordially greeted by brethren from Rome, some fifty miles from 
the city. Cheered and encouraged by these tokens of regard, Paul 
and his company were conducted in a kind of triumph into the 
city. The prisoners were delivered by the centurion to the captain 
of the guard ; but instead of being lodged, with the rest, in the 
common prison, Paul was permitted to live in his own hired house. 
He was, to be sure, encumbered with a chain, but he had a degree 
of liberty, and received all who came unto him. 

aS*. — How was Paul occupied during his long imprisonment at 
Rome ? 

F. — The first thing he did was to call the chief men of the Jews 
together, acquaint them with the cause of his being sent there a 
prisoner, and assured them that he had no charge to prefer against 
his nation. As they expressed a wish to hear him concerning the 
faith in Christ, he appointed them a daj^ when thej^ came in great 
numbers to his lodgings ; and he reasoned with them out of the 
Scriptures from morning till night. Some listened to him and 
believed the things that were spoken, while others rejected them. 

S. — How was Paul occupied duringjiis imprisonment? 

jP. — While a prisoner at Rome, Paul wrote several of his Epistles 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 525 

to individuals and to the cliiirches. We might never have had 
these excellent Epistles but for his long confinement. He contin- 
ued to teach and preach the things concerning the Lord Jesus 
Christ, laboring as best he could with the incumbrance of a chain. 
Many were converted through his instrumentality, among whom 
were some of Csesar's household. 

The Christians at Philippi, hearing of Paul's imprisonment, and 
fearing that he might be in want, got up a contribution for him, 
and sent it by Epaphroclitus, one of their ministers. Epaphroditus 
fell sick at Rome ; but after his recovery, he returned to his charge, 
carrying with him the Epistle to the Philippians. 

S. — By what means did the Apostle obtain his liberty ? 

F. — We are not informed. It may have been through the inter- 
cession of some of Caesar's household who had been converted 
through his means. 

S. — Do we know what course Paul pursued, and where he 
labored, after his enlargement ? 

F. — Not certainly. My own opinion is, that he first traveled 
eastward, visiting many of the churches in Macedonia, Greece, Asia 
Minor, and Syria. He may have carried out his expressed design 
of visiting Palestine (Heb. xiii. 23). It was during this tour, that 
he left his cloak and his parchments at Troas (2 Tim. iv. 13). This 
was also the time of his mission to Crete, where he left Titus to 
organize and regulate the churches after his departure. Returning 
from the East, Paul may have accomplished his long cherished 
purpose of visiting Spain and Gaul. We have no notice of this in 
the Scriptures, but it accords well with the enterprising spirit of 
the Apostle, and also with the testimony of the Roman Clement, a 
companion of Paul, who perfectly knew his personal history. He 
tells us that Paul did publish the gospel '* to the uttermost regions 
of the west." 

S. — Was Paul imprisoned a second time ? 
■ F. — He was. He returned to Rome about the year 64, v/hen the 
Neronian persecution was about to commence. He was imprisoned 



526 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

soon after, but not as before. He was placed in close confine- 
ment — so close that good Onesiphorus was under the necessity 
of searching diligently for him in order to find him (2 Tim. i. 
17). 

S. — During this terrible confinement, did Paul's brethren at 
Rome stand by him and encourage him ? 

F. — I fear not. It was a time of dreadful persecution, and his 
more timid brethren were concealed. " At my first answer, no 
man stood wath me, but all men forsook me " (2 Tim. ix. 10). 

S. — Was Peter at this time at Rome ? 

F. — The Scriptures give no intimation of it. The tradition is 
that he was there, and that the two Apostles suffered martyrdom 
together. Peter was crucified, but Paul, on account of his being 
a Roman citizen, was not exposed upon the cross : He was be- 
headed. He is said to have been buried about two miles from the 
city, and over his grave a splendid church was raised by Constan- 
tine, about the year 318. 

aS*. — What accounts have come down to us as to the personal 
appearance of Paul ? 

F. — The ancients represent him as a man of small stature, and 
somewhat stooping ; his complexion w^as fair, his eyes bright and 
intelligent, his nose aquiline, his brows thick and shaggy, and his 
hair and beard, during the latter part of his life, sprinkled with 
gray. His age cannot be certainly ascertained. He must have 
been more than sixty at his death, having been born only a few 
months later than Christ. 

S. — What have you to say as to the character of Paul ? 

jP. — We can judge of his character only by his writings and 
works. That he had a vigorous intellect, well sharpened by early 
training and culture, no one can doubt. His emotional nature was 
impulsive, strong, and deeply sanctified. He had a great and a 
good heart. Though, for the gospel's sake, he would not suffer 
his apostolical claims to be called in question, he was a truly 
liumble man. He spoke the feelings of his heart when he said, "I 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 527 

am the least of the Apostles, and am not meet to be called an 
Apostle, because I persecuted the church of God." 

His kindness and charity were admirable, even towards those 
who were his personal enemies. " I speak the truth in Christ, I 
lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness, that I have great 
heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart, lor my brethren, thj 
kinsfolk, according to the flesh." 

The zeal and enterprise of the Apostle, his activity in publishing 
the gospel and gathering sinners into the fold of Christ, were 
unparalleled. By night and by day, on the land and on the deep, 
he was instant in season and out of season, reproving, rebuking, 
exhorting every man, that he might present them faultless before 
the judgment seat. For more than thirty years after his conver- 
sion, he was seldom long in one place. From Jerusalem round 
about unto Illyricum, and then to Rome, and "to the utmost 
boundaries of the west," he fully preached the gospel of Christ ; 
" running," sa3^s Jerome, " like the sun in the heavens ; sooner 
wanting ground to tread upon, than a desire to propagate the faith 
of Christ." While the other Apostles were laborious men, Paul 
says truly, though not boastfully: "I labored more abundantly than 
they all." 

aS'. — And what shall be said of his 2^<^tience and fortitude in 
meeting and overcoming trials ? 

F. — He was an eminent example of these cardinal graces. His 
perils and sufferings were perpetual. A thousand times his life 
was at stake. Everywhere he manifested that he counted not his 
life dear unto himself, that he might accomplish the ministry he 
had received, and finish his course with joy. 

Though Paul has long been dead, his influence can never die. 
It still lives in his example, his writings and his works, and will 
continue to live on earth, and in heavenly places forever. Of all 
the mere men that have ever dwelt upon the earth, to no two is 
the world so much indebted as to Moses and Paul. Nor can we 
ever sufliciently admire the providence and grace of God, in 



528 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

making a thorough-bred and bigoted Jew the principal means of 
deliverance from Jewish rites ; and making the earliest and most 
violent persecutor of Christianity such an eminent instrument in 
spreading Christianity throughout the earth. 



CONVERSATION X. 

COMPANIONS OF THE APOSTLES.— Mark.— His connection with the Apostles.— 
Manner of his cruel death. — Luke. — The beloved physician. — His association with Paul. 
— Barnabas. — Born in Cyprus. — His early acquaintance with Paul. — Their separation. 
— Timothy. — Early piety. — Paul his teacher in Christianity. — Accompanies him. — 
Titus. — Another of Paul's Evangelists. — Supposed to have been bishop of Crete. 

Son. — Who were the companions of the Apostles ? 

Father. — The companions of the Apostles were that corps of 
evangelists who generally attended them, and labored under their 
direction. Prominent among them were Mark, Luke, Barnabas, 
Timothy, and Titus. 

I. MARK. 

S. — Were there not two men among the Evangelists by the name 
of Mark? 

F. — There were two. The first was a relative and assistant of 
the Apostle Peter ; the second was John Mark, a sister's son of 
Barnabas. Eusebius tells us that the first Mark was early sent by 
P.eter into Egypt, and there planted the great church of Alexan- 
clria. He was instrumental in leading man}^ in that city to em- 
brace the Christian faith. When Peter came, or was carried to 
Rome, near the close of life, Mark is supposed to have been with 
him, and there, — at the request of the Roman church, and under 
the direction of Peter, — to have written his gospel. It is virtually 
Peter's gospel — the account of our Lord's life, labors, sufferings, 
and death, which Peter was accustomed to relate in his discourses, 
— although it bears the name of Mark. 

aS'. — After the martyrdom of Peter, what became of Mark ? 

F. — He is supposed to have returned to Alexandria, where he 
was greatly instrumental in guiding and building up the church 
which he had before planted. And here he, at length, obtained 
the crown of martyrdom. The idolaters of the city broke in 
upon him, while engaged in the solemnities of Divine worship, 
bound his feet with cords, and dragged him through the streets 



530 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

of the city, until his flesh was literally torn from his body, and 
he expired. This is supposed to have taken place about the 
year 70. 

S. — What can you tell us of John Mark, the nephew of Bar- 
nabas ? 

F. — His home was at Jerusalem, and his mother's name was 
Mary. It was at her house that the disciples were assembled Avhen 
Peter, having been rescued from prison by an angel, came and 
knocked at the door for admittance (Acts xii. 12). When Paul 
and Barnabas set forth on their first mission to the heathen, they 
took Mark with them as an assistant; but when they reached 
Perga in Pamphylia, he became discouraged and turned back to 
Jerusalem. When they were about to enter upon their second 
mission, Barnabas was minded to try Mark again ; but " Paul 
thought it not good to take him with them, wdio departed from 
them in Pamphylia, and went not with them to the work." It 
was on this account that the two missionaries sejDarated, Paul 
taking Silas and going one way, and Barnabas and Mark another. 

aS'. — At a later period, did not Paul *think better of John ]\Iark ? 

F. — Yes ; he seems to have recovered the good opinion of Paul ; 
for he mentions him to the Colossians as " a fellow worker unto 
the kingdom of Christ, who has been a comfort unto me ; " and in 
his last letter to Timothy, Paul says, " Take Mark and bring him 
with thee ; for he is profitable to me for the ministry " (Col. iv. 
11, 2 Tim. iv. 11). We hear nothing further of John Mark in the 
New Testament, but may hope, from the favorable mention of him 
by Paul, that he proved a faithful minister of Christ, and finished 
his course with joy. 

IT. LUKE. 

S. — Of Luke's history, how much can you give us ? 

F. — Luke is supposed to have been a proselyte of Antioch, and 
to have been converted to Christ under the searching ministry of 
Barnabas and Paul. That he was an adept in Grecian learning, 
as well as a "beloved physician," his works declare. He became 



CONVEESATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 531 



a companion and follower of Paul during his second mission to 
the heathen. From this period, he seems to have generally 
attended the Apostle almost to the close of his earthl}^ labors. 
Paul gratefully acknowledges him as his " fellow-laborer " — as " the 
brother whose praise is in all the churches." He frequently men- 
tions him in his Epistles, and uniformly speaks of him with affec- 
tion and confidence. 

S. — When did Luke write his gospel? 

F. — It is impossible to say when. He had had abundant oppor- 
tunities for information from those who, " from the beginning, were 
eye-witnesses and ministers of the word,*' and ''had a perfect 
understanding of all things from the very first ; " add to this, he 
wrote under the inspection of Paul, and the inspiration of the Holy 
Ghost. Both his Gospel, and the Acts, Luke addresses " to the 
most excellent Theophilus," who Avas probably some distinguished 
Christian brother and patron at Antioch. 

aS'o — In the Acts of the Apostles, how far is the history of the 
chinch continued ? 

F, — To the close of Paul's first imprisonment at Rome. Why 
the writer did not pursue the narrative further, I am unable to 
sa}^ I should conclude that he died about that time, but that we 
find him still associated with Paul, when the second Epistle to 
Timothy was written, which was during Paul's second imprison- 
ment, and a little while before his death. Whether Luke survived 
Paul, and if so, where he labored afterwards, w^e have no means of 
knowing. We know that he was a learned and faithful man, and 
a devoted Christian, whose writings will be read and pondered, and 
whose memory Avill be honored, to the end of time. 

III. BARNABAS. 

S. — How much do we know of Barnabas ? 

F. — Though he has left us no writings which are of Divine 
authority, he was an honored minister and missionary of the 
Apostolic age. He was a Levite, born and brought up in Cyprus, a 



532 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

large island in the north-easterly part of the Mediterranean sea. 
We first hear of him at Jerusalem, on the day of Pentecost, or a 
little later. He was then a decided self-sacrificing believer, who 
sold his property for the common weal, brought out the proceeds, 
and laid them at the disciples' feet. 

S. — For what is Barnabas chiefly celebrated ? 

F. — For his early and intimate acquaintance with the Apostle 
Paul. They may have been students together at the feet of Gama- 
liel, before either of them was converted. Upon Paul's first visit 
to Jerusalem after his conversion, Avhen the disciples generally were 
afraid of him, Barnabas took him and brought him to the Apostles, 
and satisfied them as to the reality of his change. When news of the 
great revival at Antioch reached Jerusalem, the Apostles sent forth 
Barnabas that he should go and labor there ; but finding the Avork 
beyond his strength, he went to Tarsus to secure the assistance of 
Paul. When they had labored together a whole year at Antioch, 
they were summoned to go forth on their first mission to the 
heathen. This being accomplished, they returned to Antioch, and 
reported to their brethren all that God had done to them and by 
them. 

S. — What important question came up during their stay at 
Antioch ? 

F. — That respecting the circumcision of the Gentile converts. 
Being unable to settle this question among themselves, Paul and 
Barnabas went up with it to the Apostles and elders, and the 
church at Jerusalem. The decision of the Apostles was against 
the circumcision of the Gentile converts. 

aS'. — On what account did Barnabas separate from Paul ? 

F. — On their return from the conference at Jerusalem, Paul and 
Barnabas projected another mission to the heathen ; but as they 
could not agree in regard to the person to be taken with them as 
an assistant, they separated one from the other ; and we hear little 
of Barnabas in sacred story afterwards. We know that " he was a 
good man, full of faith and of the Holy Ghost," and that he wore 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 533 

out his life in the service of the gospel ; but where he labored, and 
when and how he died, we cannot tell. There is extant an Epistle 
bearing his name ; but, though a very ancient Avriting, I could never 
persuade myself that Barnabas wrote it. It is addressed chiefly to 
Jews, with the design of drawing them off from the letter of the 
laAv to a more spiritual understanding of it. It is full of allegorical 
interpretations, and is unworthy of the name of Barnabas. 

IV. TIMOTHY. 

S. — When do we first hear of Timothy ? 

F. — It was at Derbe or Lystra, during Paul's second missionary 
tour in Asia. He was probably converted at the time of Paul's first 
visit. His father was a Gentile ; but his grandmother Lois and his 
mother Eunice were of Jewish descent, and both had been con- 
verted to the faith of the gospel. They had taken much pains in 
the education of Timothy who, "from a child, had known the holy 
Scriptures." When Paul came to Lj'stra the second time, he was 
struck with the attainments and gifts of 3'oung Timothy; and, 
hearing him well reported of by all the brethren, he resolved to take 
him with him as a helper in the missionary work. And the better 
to prepare him for such an undertaking, he circumcised him ; not 
that he laid any stress upon this Jewish rite, but that Timothy 
might labor with less prejudice among the Jews. He was subse- 
quently ordained to the work of the ministry, by the la^'ing on of 
the hands of the presbytery. From this time, we find him almost 
continually with Paul, or laboring under his direction. The Apostle 
calls him his own son, his brother, his yoke-fellow ; and declares that 
he has no one so much united with him in mind and heart as Timothy. 

S. — Can you mention more particularly Timothy's labors and 
travels, in connection with Paul ? 

F. — Timothy accompanied the Apostle on his first visit to Mace- 
donia — to Philippi, to Thessalonica, and to Berea ; and when Paul 
departed from Berea to go into Greece, he left Silas and Timothy 
behind, to strengthen and establish the new converts. At Athens, 

33 



534 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

Paul sent for them to come to him ; and when they had come, and 
had given him an account of the distressed condition of the 
churches in Macedonia, Paul sent Timothy back to them ; whence 
he afterwards returned, and came to Paul at Corinth (1 Thess. 
iii. 2). Here he remained with the Apostles more than a year ; and 
Paul mentions both him and Silas in the inscriptions of the two 
Epistles which he sent from Corinth to the Thessalonians. 

When Paul left Corinth, he came back into Asia, and hurried 
forward to Jerusalem, that he might be present at the Passover. 
From Jerusalem, he came back to Antioch, and thence to Ephesus, 
where lie remained more than two years. From Ephesus Paul was 
at length driven by a mob, got up by the silversmiths ; and leaving 
Timothy behind him, he passed over into Macedonia. It was at 
this time that he wrote his first Epistle to Timothy. Timothy soon 
followed his great leader into Macedonia ; for in the inscription to 
the second Epistle to the Corinthians, written at this time, we find 
his name associated \\\i\\ that of Paul. In company with Timothy, 
Paul now visited Corinth, taking up contributions for the poor 
saints at Jerusalem. Paul was now projecting a journey to Jeru- 
salem, taking with him the money which he had collected. He 
went back through Macedon, sailed over to Troas, and touched at 
Miletus, where he sent for the elders of the Ephesian church, and 
delivered unto them his parting words. Thence he went forward, 
by easy stages, to Jerusalem, — whence he was sent a prisoner to 
Csesarea, and afterwards to Kome. 

S. — Is it likely that Timothy accompanied Paul in all these jour- 
neys, and in his long confinements at Csesarea and at Rome ? 

F. — The probability is that he did ; as Ave know that he was 
with the Apostle at Rome. Indeed, he Avas himself a prisoner at 
Rome during a part of the tAvo years that Paul was there ; for in 
the conclusion of the Epistle to the HebreAvs, the writer says : 
" KnoAV ye that our brother Timothy is set at liberty ? " 

aS'. — Can AA^e be certain as to the movements of Paul and Tim- 
othy, after their liberation at Rome ? 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 535 

F. — We cannot. The probability is that they journeyed east- 
ward, through Macedonia, Greece, Asia Minor, and perhaps Pales- 
tine, visiting and strengthening the churches the}^ had planted. 
Then they may have visited Crete ; for I cannot find that Paul was 
at Crete, to make any stop there, at an earlier period. Thence 
they may have passed over into Gaul and Spain, and came back to 
Rome about the year 64 or Qb. The Xeronian persecution was now 
raging, and Paul was made a close prisoner. It was during this im- 
prisonment that he wrote his second Epistle to Timoth}^ — the last 
that he ever wrote. Timothy was now in Asia Minor — perhaps at 
Troas. He w^as urged to visit the Apostle quickl}-, and to bring 
with him his master's cloak, his books, and his parchments. If 
Timothy complied with this injunction, — as he certainly would, if 
it were possible, — he may have witnessed the martyrdom of Paul. 

S. — Much is said, in certain Cjuarters, about Timothy as the first 
bishop of Ephesus. Is this likely to be true ? 

F. — The supposition has no foundation in the Scriptures. In- 
deed, it is contradicted by the entire history of Timothy, as given 
in the Bible. Timothy was not a bishop anywhere. He never 
had, so far as we knoAv, the supervision of any particular church or 
flock. He is expressly called an evangelist ; but an evangelist in 
the primitive church was an itinerant, a missionary, Avho labored, 
usually, in connection with some one of the Apostles, and under 
his direction. 

Of the life of Timothy, after the death of Paul, we have no cer- 
tain information. He was a faithful man, a devoted servant of the 
Lord Jesus Christ, and no doubt died triumphantly ; but whether 
he died a natural death, or fell by martyrdom, we cannot decide. 

Y. TITUS. 

aS'. — Titus, we know, was one of Paul's evangelists. What can 
you tell us of his personal history? 

F. — He was a Gentile, and was converted through the instru- 
mentality of Paul, Avho calls him his son. (Tit. i. 4.) Paul took 



536 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 



him with him when he went up to Jerusalem on the question of cir- 
cumcising the Gentile converts. Some would then have con- 
strained him to circumcise Titus, but neither he nor Titus would 
consent. 

S. — After this, do we know much of the history of Titus ? 

F. — We do not, at least for several years ; but after Paul's release 
from his first imprisonment at Rome, when he undertook his mission 
to Crete, we find Titus with him ; and when Paul was called away 
from Crete, he left Titus there, " to set in order the things that 
were wanting, and ordain elders in everj^ city." 

S. — Was Titus bishop of Crete ? 

F. — This has been often affirmed ; but the truth is, he was not a 
bishop anywhere. Like Philip, and Timothy, and a great many 
others, he was an evangelist. His residence at Crete, when left 
there by Paul, was very short ; for only a little while after, Paul 
writes to Timothy, " Titus is gone to Dalmatia," a great Avay from 
Crete. As to the remainder of Titus' life, and the manner of his 
death, we have no information. 



CONYEKSATION XL 

THE EPISTLES OF PAUL.— Epistle to the Thessalonians.— Location of the church.— 
Object of the first and second Epistles to the Thessalonians. — The letter to the Gala- 
tians. — Great need of this letter. — Galatia and why so called. — Paul's defense of his 
apostleship. — Proof of his commission. — His apostleship called in question. 

Son, — How many of Paul's Epistles have we iu our Bible ? 

Father. — Fourteen in all, — ^including the Epistle to the Hebrews, 
which I cannot doubt was written by Paul. I propose to give 
you some account of these Epistles, and in the order in which they 
were written. 

I. FIEST EPISTLE TO THE THESSALO^sIAXS. 

S. — "Where was Thessalonica ? 

F. — It was a sea-port of Macedonia, situated on the gulf of Thessa- 
lonica, and was a place of much commercial importance. It is 
still a large city called Saloniki. At the time of Paul's visit, it was 
subject to the Romans, and was inhabited by Greeks, Italians, and 
Jews. 

S. — By whom was the gospel first preached in this city ? 

F. — It was first preached here, so far as we know, by Paul and 
Silas. After their release from prison at Philippi, they came to 
Thessalonica, where w^as a synagogue of the Jews. " And Paul, as 
his manner was, went in unto them, and three Sabbath days reasoned 
with them out of the Scriptures, opening and alleging that Christ 
must needs have suffered, and risen ao;ain from the dead, and that 
this Jesus, whom I preach unto you is Christ. And some of them 
believed and consorted with Paul and Silas ; and of the devout 
Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief w^omen not a few " 
(Acts. xvii. 2-4). 

aS'. — Who were the "devout Greeks" here spoken of? 

F. — I suppose they were either proselytes to the Jews' religion, 
or Greeks who were so far convinced of the truth of the Jews' 



538 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

religion as to have renounced idolatry, and were permitted to wor- 
ship in the synagogue. It was from these converts, made in the 
synagogue, that the Thessalonian church seems to have been 
gathered. 

S. — How long did Paul remain at Thessalonica ? 

F, — We do not certainly know, — long enough for him to receive 
repeated supplies from Philippi (Phil. iv. 16), — long enough to 
excite a great tumult and mob, from which he deemed it prudent 
to retire (Acts. xvii. 5). 

S. — On leaving Thessalonica, where did Paul go ? 

F. — First, to Berea, then to Athens, and then to Corinth. It was 
from Corinth that the first Epistle to the Thessalonians was written, 
about the year 52. 

aS'. — What was there in the circumstances of the Thessalonian 
converts which made it necessary for the Apostle to write them at 
this time ? 

F. — They were made up of diverse materials ; they had been but 
recentl}^ converted ; their great teacher had been rudely and sud- 
denly driven from them ; they were exposed to much opposition 
and to many trials ; and the}^ needed special instruction and 
encouragement, that they might be kept from apostasy, and live and 
be a blessing to those around them. 

S. — Were they in error on any point of Christian doctrine ? 

F. — They had received erroneous impressions respecting the 
resurrection and the coming of Christ. They looked for his coming 
as a near event, and they seem to have supposed that those who 
were alive on the earth when Christ came, would have great 
advantages over those of their number wlio had died ; that the liv- 
ing would be allowed to behold his glory, and participate in the 
splendors of his personal reign, while those who were in their graves 
would slumber through these magnificent scenes. To correct 
these views seems to have been one design of the Epistle before 
us. The Apostle assures the Thessalonian converts that, at the 
coming of Christ, all the redeemed, whether living or dead, would 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 539 

participate alike in his glory. They who Avere alive would not 
anticipate those who were in their graves. So far from this, those 
who were dead would rise firsts i. e. before the change would take 
place in the living, which was to fit them to dwell forever with the 
Lord (1 Thess. iv. 15-18). 

S. — Were there any disorders prevailing in this infant church ? 

F. — There were probably some who had not a due respect for 
their religious teachers ; and this may have led the Apostle to 
say to them, '' We beseech you, brethren, to know them which 
labor among you, and are over yo\x in the Lord, and admonish 
you; and to esteem them very highly in love for their w^orks sake " 
(Chap. V. 12). 

In short, these new converts from Judaism and heathenism 
needed instruction in regard to the Christian temper and walk in 
general ; and more appropriate instruction than that contained in 
the closing verses of this Epistle, cannot be conceived of : " Warn 
them that are unruly, comfort the feeble-minded, support the weak, 
be patient unto all men. See that none render evil for evil unto 
any man ; but ever follow that which is good, both among 3^our- 
selves, and to all men. Rejoice evermore ; pray without ceasing ; 
in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ 
Jesus concerning you. Quench not the spirit ; despise not prophe- 
syings ; prove all things ; hold fast that which is good. Abstain 
from all appearance of evil ; and the very God of peace sanctify 
you wholly ; and I pray God your whole spirit, and soul, and body 
be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." 

II. SECOND EPISTLE TO THE THESSALOXIANS. 

aS'. — When and where was this Epistle written ? 

F. — It seems to have been written soon after the first, and from 
the same place — Corinth, about the year 53 or 54. There is 
indeed, no positive proof of this, but the internal evidence all 
favors the supposition, and such has been the opinion of the most 
judicious commentators. 



540 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

S. — Why should the Apostle so soon address a second Epistle 
to the same church? 

F. — Chiefly, I think, to correct an erroneous impression which the 
Thessalonians had received from the first. They had gathered from 
what Paul had written, that the Son of God w^as about to appear, 
and that the end of the world was near at hand. And this im- 
pression was producing the same results at Thessalonica that it 
has done in all periods since. Some were alarmed, and were 
suffering under serious apprehensions; while others concluded 
that labor was of no value, that worldly property w^as useless, and 
had given up all attention to their secular concerns. It w^as of 
the utmost importance, therefore, that the error should be cor- 
rected, and corrected speedily. Accordingly, the watchful Apostle 
wrote to them : " We beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our 
Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, that 
ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, 
nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is 
at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means ; for that day 
shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that 
man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition, who opposeth and 
exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped ; 
so that he, as God, sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself 
that he is God. Remember ye not that while T was yet with you, 
I told you these things " (2 Thess. ii. 1-5). 

S. — Certainly this declaration was of great importance at the 
time when it was written : Is it not of equal importance now ? 

F. — Undoubtedly it is. There have been crazy adventists all 
along, from the age of the Apostles until now. There are such still. 
And not only so, it has been the perpetual cry of infidelity : '^ The 
Apostles believed in the speedy coming of Christ to judgment, and 
were mistaken. Their inspiration failed them in this instance; 
why not in others ? And who can trust to their writings as the 
standard of truth ? " Now the declaration of Paul above quoted, is 
a sufi[icient reply to all such objections. No stronger expressions 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 541 

can be cited from any writing of the Apostles, to prove the 
speedy coming of Christ, than can be found in Paul's first Epistle 
to the Thessalonians. They were so strong that the Thessalonians 
themselves, or at least some of them, were deceived by them. 
And yet the Apostle Avrites forthwith to assure them that they had 
misinterpreted him. He had intended to convey no such impres- 
sion. He refers to many things which he had said while yet with 
them, that were inconsistent with such a doctrine. , And may not 
Paul be safely left to explain his own words ? And who will dare 
insist, in these days, in opposition to his own declarations, that he 
did teach the speedy coming of Christ, and was mistaken ? 

S. — In the views you have given, this second Epistle to the 
Thessalonians is one of great importance to the church, not only 
in the age of the Apostles, but at all subsequent periods. 

F. — It is an important Scripture in another respect. It is a 
standing rebuke of all those interpretations which attempt to fix 
the time when our Lord will come, and to make it appear that the 
end is near at hand. Our Savior told his disciples after his resur- 
rection, that the time of his coming was not. known to mortals, 
and never would be particularly disclosed to them. "It is not 
for you to know the times and the seasons which the Father hath 
put in his own power" (Acts. i. 7). Hence all attempts to fix 
the precise time of his » coming are to be regarded as profane — 
as an unwarrantable prying into those secret things which belong 
only to God. 

III. EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. 

S. — What was Galatia, and where was it ? 

F. — Galatia was not a city, but a province of Asia Minor, having 
Pontus on the East, and Cappadocia and Phrygia on the South and 
West. It was, probably, about two hundred miles long from East 
to West, and from twenty to one hundred and fifty miles in width. 

aS'. — From what did this province derive its name ? 

F. — From the Gauls, by whom it had been conquered and settled, 
about two hundred and fifty years before the birth of Christ. 



542 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

These Gauls were celebrated warriors, who were frequently 
employed by the surrounding chiefs to assist them in their warlike 
encounters. Galatia became a Roman province in the time of 
Augustus Caesar, and was subject to a governor sent from Rome. 

S. — Of what religion were the Galatians originally ? 

F, — They Avere heathen idolaters, interspersed with companies 
of wandering Jews. There were no large cities in Galatia ; the 
people resided in villages and towns. And this accounts for it, 
that our Epistle is directed, not to the church of Galatia, but to 
the churches. 

S. — By whom was the gospel first preached in this province ? 

F. — Undoubtedly by Paul. He probably visited it during his 
first mission from Antioch. This, indeed, is not expressly men- 
tioned ; but it is said that he visited Lycaonia, and the region 
round about (Acts xiv. 6), which would include portions of 
Galatia. We know that he visited Galatia when on his second 
mission (Acts xvi. 6). 

S. — When was the Epistle to the Galatians w^ritten ? 

F. — On this question, interpreters have decided variously. My 
own opinion is, that it was written at Corinth, shortly after the 
Epistles to the Thessalonians. The main subject of the Epistle — 
the question of circumcising the Gentile converts — shows that it 
was written during the controversy on that exciting topic. At a 
later period in PauFs ministry, this question had in great measure 
subsided. Then we have an expression near the beginning of the 
Epistle, which implies that it was written shortly after Paul's last 
visit to the Galatians : "I marvel that ye are so soon removed from 
him that called you into the grace of Christ, unto another gospel " 
(i. 6). My own impression is that this Epistle was written about 
the year 52 or 53, while Paul was fulfilling his long mission at 
Corinth. It was written, not like Paul's other Epistles, by an 
amanuensis, but with his own hand (vi. 11). 

S. — What was the occasion of Paul's addressing the Galatians at 
this time ? 



CONVEKSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 543 

F. — This is very obvious from the Epistle itself. While Paul 
was at Corinth, he received intelligence from Galatia that his old 
enemies, the Judaizing teachers, had been there, subverting the 
faith of his spiritual children, and turning them aside to another 
gospel. These teachers insisted that Paul was an Apostle onlj^ at 
second hand ; that he was inferior, in point of authority, to the 
Apostles at Jerusalem ; that circumcision and the Jewish law 
were still binding, and were essential to salvation ; and by these, 
and other like persuasions, they had induced many of the Gala- 
tians to be circumcised, to attend the Jewish festivals, and to 
commence the observance of the law. The Apostle saw at once 
that somethi]]g must be done ; and as he could not visit his Gala- 
tian brethren at this time, he must write them a letter. He com- 
mences by vindicating his own Apostleship. He assures the 
Galatians that he had received his commission and his doctrine, 
not from man, but from God ; that what he had taught them was 
of Divine authority, and that they were bound to believe him. 
He instructs them as to the nature of spiritual justification, and 
the impossibility of securing it by works of the law. It must be bj- 
the faith of Jesus Christ. He shows them that even Abraham was 
justified by faith, and not by works ; and that all his spiritual 
children must be saved in the same way. The design of the Avhole 
Epistle is to state and defend the true doctrine of justification, 
and it closes with an earnest exhortation to his Galatian brethren 
to avoid the evils which had been engendered by their disputes, 
and to " stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ had made 
them free." "In Christ Jesus, neither circumcision availeth any- 
thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature." 

The ground which Paul took in this, and in his other Epistles, 
against the imposition of circumcision and the law upon the Gen- 
tile converts, was one of vast importance. It saved Christianitj", at 
least for a time, from becoming a religion of rites and forms ; and, 
as I have remarked on a former occasion, we can never sufficiently 
admire the providence and grace of God, in making a thorough- 



544 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

bred and bigoted Jew the principal means of deliverance from 
Jewish rites, and in making the earliest and most violent persecu- 
tor of Christianity such an eminent instrument in spreading Chris- 
tianity throughout the earth. 



CONVERSATION XII. 

FIRST EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS.— Beautj of Corinth.— Great commer- 
cial importance. — Distinguished for wealth, luxury and dissipation. — Circumstances 
connected with Paul's first visit to Corinth. — Becomes the Apostle to the Gentiles. — 
Brought before Gallio. — Reproofs and instructions. — Falsity of the concluding inscrip- 
tions of this and other Epistles. — First and second Epistles to Timothy. 

IT. FIRST EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHLA.NS. 

Son. — Where was Corinth situated? 

Father. — It was situated on an isthmus, about six miles across, 
which separated the ancient Peloponnesus from the rest of Greece. 
This was the natural portage or carrying place from the Ionian sea 
on the west, to the ^gean on the east. The situation of Corinth 
gave it great commercial advantages. It became the mart of Asia 
and Europe, covered the sea with its ships, and had a navj of its 
own to protect its commerce. Its population increased rapidly by 
the influx of foreigners, and it was long distinguished for its 
wealth, its luxury, and its dissipation. The principal di^dnity wor- 
shiped at Corinth was Yenus, — as Diana was at Ephesus, and 
Minerva at Athens. 

S. — When was Corinth captured by the Romans ? 

F. — It was captured and destroyed by the consul Lucius Mum- 
mius, 147 years before Christ. The riches found there were im- 
mense. A vast amount of coin was melted down in the conflagra- 
tion of the city. The place, however, was soon rebuilt. It was 
colonized by Julius Caesar, and ere long resumed something of its 
former magnificence. 

aS'. — How was Greece divided by the Romans ? 

F. — Into the two provinces of Macedonia and Achaia. Of the 
latter, Corinth was the capital. Such was its situation, when first 
Adsited by Paul. 

aS'. — At what time, and under what circumstances, did Paul make 
his first visit to Corinth ? 

F. — He came here about the year 52. He had spent some time 



546 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

at Athens, where he had preached without much success. From 
Athens he came alone to Corinth ; but he found there Aquila and 
Priscilla, hitely come from Rome, with whom he lodged and labored 
at his trade of tent-making. He may have been the means of the 
conversion of these excellent friends. 

When Silas and Timotheus had come to him from Berea, he com- 
menced preaching the gospel in this great and wicked city. He 
began, as usual, with the Jews ; but when they rejected him, he 
shook his raiment and said, '' Your blood be upon your own heads ; 
I am clean ; from henceforth I Avill go to the Gentiles." He began 
his labors, as he tells us, " in weakness, and fear, and in much trem- 
bling ; "' but his Divine Master encouraged him in a vision, saying, 
'' Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace ; for I am with 
thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee ; for I have much 
people in this cit3\" And he continued preaching the gospel there 
a 3'ear and six months. It was during this period, as we have seen, 
that he wrote his Epistles to the Thessalonians and to the Galatians. 

S. — In what manner Avas Paul's successful labors at Corinth in- 
terrupted ? 

F. — The unbelieving Jews, enraged at his success, caught him 
and brought him before Gallio, the governor of Achaia ; but Gallic 
refused to listen to them and Paul was dismissed. After this it is 
said that ''he tarried there a good while," "and sailed thence into 
Sj^ria, taking Priscilla and Aquila Avith him." He came first to 
Ephesus and left his friends there, promising to return to them 
after a short Adsit to Jerusalem. This promise he fulfilled ; and 
noAv commenced his three and a half years' mission at Ephesus — 
the longest that he had at any place, after entering upon his public 
labors. 

S. — Had he no intercourse, during all this time, Avith any of his 
former fields of labor ? 

F. — He had undoubtedly. He kept a watchful eye upon all the 
churches, more especially those Avhich he had planted, and lost no 
opportunity to do them good. This Avas particularh' the case with 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 547 

regard to the cliurch which he had left at Cormth. The intercourse 
by sea between Ephesus and Corinth was direct and frequent. He 
heard often from his Corinthian brethren, and seems to have sent a 
letter to them which is lost. For he says in the Epistle before us — 
called the first : '* I wrote unto you in an Epistle not to keep com- 
pany Avith fornicators," etc. (Chap. v. 9). Hearing of their disor- 
ders, and their lack of discipline, he seems also to have made a short 
visit to them, of which no mention is made in the Acts of the 
Apostles. At the time of writing his Epistles to the Corinthians, 
Paul had made but one visit to them of which w^e have any knowl- 
edge. Yet he says repeatedly in his second Epistle, " This is the 
third time I am coming to you." Of course, there must have been 
a second visit between the first and the third ; and this must have 
been made during his long residence at Ephesus. Nor is it to be 
wondered at, that in his anxiety for the Corinthians, he should sail 
over the jEgean in some one of the hundred ships that were con- 
tinuall}^ crossing, and make them a passing visit. 

S. — When and where was the Epistle before us written ? 

F, — As the Apostle continued to hear unfavorable reports from 
the Corinthians, and had received a letter and a deputation from 
them (see Chap. xvi. 19), he determined to write them a long 
Epistle — that which is now before us. It was undoubtedly written 
from Ephesus, and near the close of his long residence there. " I 
will tarry at Ephesus," he says, " until Pentecost ; for a great door 
and effectual is opened unto me" (Chap. xvi. 8). The place and 
the date of the writing are here fixed. It must have been written 
at Ephesus in the year bQ or 57. 

The Apostle, however, did not remain at Ephesus so long as he 
intended. The uproar raised against him by the silver-smiths 
hastened his departure. He had previously sent into Macedonia 
Timothy and Erastus, and when the uproar had ceased, he fol- 
lowed them (Chap. xx. 1). The Epistle was written, it has been 
thought, between the sending away of Timothy and Erastus, and 
the tumult by the silver-smiths. 



548 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

S. — You have not yet informed us of the particular occasion of 
writing this Epistle. 

F. — This is sufficiently obvious from the Epistle itself. The 
Apostle had received a letter from the Corinthian church, and he 
must answer it. He had also heard various reports of disorders 
there, which required correction. "It hath been declared unto 
me by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are conten- 
tions among you,*' some claiming to be of Paul, and others of 
ApoUos, and others of Cephas, and others of Christ. This matter 
is reproved,, rebuked, and variously discussed, from the eleventh 
verse of the first chapter to the end of the fourth. 

Another report which had reached the Apostle had respect to a 
case of incest which had occurred, which he severely rebukes, and 
directs that the offender, and all like offenders, should be excluded 
from the church. 

Another report, unfavorable to the Corinthians was, that instead 
of settling their mutual differences among themselves, they had been 
carrying them into the heathen courts. " Ye go to law before the 
unjust, and not before the saints." The Apostle closes his rebukes 
on this subject with a stern reproof of the sin of unchastity, to 
which the Corinthians were much addicted. 

Having considered those things, of which he had been incident- 
ally informed, Paul proceeds to notice others, about which they 
had consulted him by letter. And first he gives his advice con- 
cerning marriage and divorce (Chap. vii). Next, he counsels his 
brethren about going to heathen festivals, and eating meat which 
had been offered to idols. The discussion of this and some kindred 
topics, occupies the next three chapters. In the eleventh chapter, 
Paul speaks of the relation of the sexes one to the other, of the 
orderly conducting of public worship, and especially of the Lord's 
supper. It seems that great disorders had crept into the church in 
regard to this matter, which he rebukes and corrects. 

Another subject which had probably been submitted to him in 
the letter, was that of spiritual gifts, more especially the gift of 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 649 

tongues. This had been imparted to many of the Corinthians, and 
they had misused it, making their meetings disorderl}^ and unprof- 
itable. This whole subject the Apostle discusses in chapters 
twelve and thirteen, — enlarging on the grace of charity, or holy 
love, as being vastly superior to supernatural utterances. 

S. — Do we find any errors in doctrine reproved in this Epistle ? 

F. — The Gnostic errors had infected some of tlie Corinthians, 
and they were led to deny the resurrection of the dead. " There 
is none but a spiritual resurrection, and that, in respect to be- 
lievers, is past alread3\ A resurrection of the vile, corrupting 
body is not to be expected, or desired." A knowledge of this 
error, as prevailing at Corinth, led the Apostle into that noble and 
eloquent vindication of the resurrection, which we have in the 
fifteenth chapter — a chapter not exceeded in point of interest by 
any in the Bible. 

S. — In what spirit is this searching, humbling Epistle written ? 

F. — It is, indeed, in most parts of it, a message of unsparing- 
reproof. It could not be otherwise. And yet it is delivered, 
throughout, in the kindest spirit, in the most tender and touching 
manner, in a way to give the least possible offense. Witness the 
Apostle's introduction : He begins by praising the Corinthians — 
by saying everything in their favor which could be said with 
truth. " I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of 
God, which is given unto you by Jesus Christ. That in every 
thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowl- 
edge, so that ye come behind in no gift, waiting for the coming of 
our Lord Jesus Christ." This is like our Savior's introductions to 
his messages of reproof to the seven churches of Asia. After such 
an introduction, and in such a spirit, the Apostle could say any- 
thing which the occasion required. 

aS'. — By whom was this Epistle sent to the Corinthians ? 

F. — The Apostle had already sent Timothy into Macedonia, 
with instructions to proceed as far as Corinth, (Chap. xvi. 10). 
And now he sends Titus with the Epistle, accompanied, probably, 



550 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

by the messengers who had come from Corinth to Paul with the 
letter of inquiry. He very soon follows them into Macedonia, and 
anxiously waits the result of his Epistle. 

S. — And what was the result ? 

F. — Every thing that Paul could desire. The divisions and 
strifes among the Corinthians were healed, their disorders were cor- 
rected, the incestuous person was ejected from the church, and 
deep repentance and a disposition to reform were every where 
manifested. And not only so, the collection for the poor saints at 
Jerusalem, which Paul had projected and was urging forward, was 
taken up with exemplary liberality. Of all this, Paul was speedily 
informed by Titus, much to his satisfaction and joy. 

S. — What is to be said of the concluding inscription to this 
Epistle? 

F. — It is of no authority, and is false in several particulars, and 

the same may be said of the concluding inscriptions to the Epistles 

generally. It is to be regretted that they are published in our 

Bibles. 

Y. Paul's fiest epistle to timothy. 

F. — The next of Paul's Epistles, in point of time, was the first 
Epistle to Timothy. We have heard much of Timothy in our pre- 
vious discussions. He was found at Lystra, by Paul, during his 
second mission from Antioch ; and, being a pious, promising youth, 
he was selected by the Apostle to travel with him as his companion 
and assistant evangelist. And from this period, he seems to have 
followed Paul, or to have labored under his direction to the end of 
the Apostle's life. He was with him during his long mission at 
Ephesus ; but near the close of it, he was sent away. 

S. — Where was he sent? 

F. — Hearing of some disorders among the Corinthians, Paul 
directed Timothy and Erastus to make them a visit. This involved 
a voyage across the ^gean, which they could make in a few days. 
After their departure Paul writes his first Epistle to the Corinthians, 
in which he speaks of himself as still at Ephesus, and of Timothy 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 551 

as in Greece (1 Cor. xvi. 8, iv. 17). After a time, Timothy returns 
to Epliesus, and is there at the time of the disturbance with the 
silver-smiths. Paul now leaves suddenly for Macedonia ; but en- 
treats Timothy to remain at Ephesus for a time, " that he might 
charge some that they teach no other doctrine " (1 Tim. i. 3). 
And here we have the date of Paul's first Epistle to Timothy. It 
was written from Macedonia, probably from Philippi, about the 
year 58. 

S. — But are there not serious objections to this date of the 
Epistle ? Are we sure that Timothy returned from Greece to 
Ephesus, previous to Paul's sudden departure ? 

F. — We have no positive proof of this; but we know that he 
might easily have done so, and that Paul expected him to return. 
" I look for him with the brethren " (1 Cor. xvi. 11). 

S. — It is further objected to your date of the Epistle, that Timo- 
thy, instead of being left at Ephesus, was with Paul in Macedonia, 
when he wrote his second Epistle to the Corinthians, and his name 
is joined with that of Paul in the introduction. 

F. — All this is true ; but before Paul was prepared to write his 
second Epistle to the Corinthians, Timothj^ might have finished his 
work at Ephesus, and followed Paul to Macedonia. He had time 
enough to do all this, and I have no doubt that he did it. And if 
he actually was in Macedonia when Paul commenced w^riting his 
second Epistle to the Corinthians, it was the most natural thing in 
the world, — since Timothy had so lately been at Corinth, — that 
Paul should join his name with his own in the introduction. 

S. — It is still further objected to the commonly received date 
of this Epistle, that, instead of expecting Timothy in Macedonia, 
Paul was expecting soon to return to Ephesus. " These things 
I write unto thee, hoping to return unto thee shortly " (1 Tim. 
iii. 14). 

F. — Paul did entertain this hope on his first arrival in Mace- 
donia ; but being occupied there much longer than he expected, it 
seems that Timothy came to him. Vessels were continually passing 



652 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

one way and the other, and the voyage, as I have before said, could 
be accomplished in a few days. 

S. — As the true date of this Epistle has long been and still is a 
matter in dispute, will you sum up, briefly, the reasons for the date 
wliich you have given ? 

F. — My reasons are, that this date agrees, as no other one does, 
with all the circumstances of the case. We know, from the Epistle 
itself, that it was written soon after Paul's sudden departure from 
Ephesus, leaving Timothy behind to finish up certain things which 
he had left unaccomplished. Now we have no account in the 
Bible, or anywhere else, of Paul's leaving Ephesus for Macedonia, 
except in the instance above referred to. Bishoj) Pearson thinks 
that this might have been done after Paul's release from his first 
imprisonment at Rome, and that his first Epistle dates only a little 
previous to the second. But all this is mere assumption, Avithout 
one particle of j)roof. Indeed, collateral circumstances are against 
it. For example, when Paul wrote this Epistle, Timothy was a 
young man. "Let no man despise thy youth" (1 Tim. iv. 12). If 
the Epistle was written at the time we suppose, Timothy was a 
young man ; but seven or eight years later, this could hardly be 
said of him. Then, after leaving Ephesus at the time we suppose^ 
there is no reason to think that Paul ever was there again. When 
he returned from Greece on his way to Jerusalem, he sent for the 
elders of the church at Ephesus to meet him at Miletus, and there 
he took his final leave of them. He told them, and for aught I 
see prophetically, that they should see his face no more (Acts xx. 
25). And yet, according to Bishop Pearson's theory, he was there 
again, and left Timothy behind him at his departure. On the 
whole, I feel satisfied with the date of the Epistle which has been 
given about the year 58. 

aS'. — Will you now state the occasion and design of the Epistle ? 

F. — These may be learned from the circumstances already men- 
tioned, and from the Epistle itself. Driven away from Ephesus by 
the violence of the silver-smiths before his work was done, Paul left 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 553 

Timothy behind to complete it ; and particularly that he might 
" charge some that they teach no other doctrine." The errors to 
which the Apostle here refers, I think, were of two kinds. 1. 
There were the Judaizers, who " desired to be teachers of the law." 
2. There were the advocates of a '' science falsely so called, which, 
some professing, have erred from the faith " (vi. 20,21). This 
Tj'co(7/v " science falsely so called," was undoubtedly gnosticism^ 
which was becoming popular, and had begun to corrupt the 
churches before the death of the Apostles. It had already made its 
appearance at Ephesus ; and was more prominently there near the 
close of the first century, during the ministry of the Apostle John. 

The church also needed instruction in regard to the right of the 
female members, and the place which they ought to occup}^ ; also 
in regard to the proper treatment of widows. It is probable, also, 
that at the time when Paul was driven away from Ephesus, he had 
not completed the organization of church officers, or defined their 
duties so fully as he desired ; and this led him to charge Timoth}^, 
as he does in chapter third. In short, many things required to be 
done, wdiich Paul left Timothy behind to do, and his instructions 
in regard to these make up the body of the Epistle. 

S. — Are not the pastoral Epistles, as they are called — the Epistles 
to Timothy and Titus, to be regarded as highly important parts of 
the inspired volume ? 

F. — They are undoubtedly; and specially so as they bear on the 
character and work of the ministry. '' The office of the ministry is 
God's great appointment for the propagation of true religion, and for 
spreading it through the w^orld. The church adheres to the truth, 
is built up in faith, and is distinguished for love, purity and zeal, in 
proportion as the ministry is honored, and shows itself qualified for 
its work. So important is this office to the welfare of the church 
and the world, that it was desirable that full instruction should be 
furnished in the volume of revelation, in regard to its nature and 
design. Such instruction Ave have in these pastoral Epistles; and 
there is scarcely any portion of the New Testament which the 



554 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

cliurcli could not better afford to part Avitli, than these Ej)istles. 
Had the ministry always been such as these Epistles contemplate, 
had they who have filled the sacred office always possessed the 
character and qualifications here described, the church would have 
been saved from the strifes that have so often rent it, and the pure 
gospel, long ere tliis, would have been spread through the world." 

YI. SECOND EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS. 

F. — We have already given an account of the location, character 
and history of ancient Corinth ; of Paul's first visit and long resi- 
dence there ; of the establishment of a flourishing Christian church; 
of the disorders into which it fell after he left it ; of his efforts to 
correct these disorders ; and particularly of his long Epistle to 
them. This was preceded by a visit of Timothy, and the Epistle 
was sent by the hand of Titus. Soon after this, Paul left Ephesus 
to go into Macedonia, but stopped at Troas, expecting there to 
meet Titus, and learn from him the reception of the Epistle. 

S, — Had Paul some anxiety in regard to this matter ? 

F. — He was exceedingly anxious, as he well might be ; and he 
tells us of his disappointment in not meeting Titus at Troas. 
" When I came to Troas, I had no rest in my spirit, because I 
found not Titus, my brother." Paul immediatel}^ left Troas, and 
sailed over into Macedonia, where he did meet Titus, and learned 
from him, with inexpressible satisfaction, that his Epistle had 
accomplished all that he could desire. The act of discipline 
Avhich he had directed, had been j^erformed, the abuses had been 
in great measure corrected, the Corinthians had been brought to a 
deep repentance, and were earnestly endeavoring to effect a refor- 
mation. Of the feelings of Paul on this occasion, he has fully 
informed us. " When we were come into Macedonia, our flesh had 
no rest, but we were troubled on every side. Without were fight- 
ings, and within were fears. Nevertheless, God, that comforteth 
those who are cast down, comforted us by the coming of Titus ; 
and not by his coming only, but by the consolation wherewith he 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 555 

was comforted in you, when he told us of your earnest desire, 
your mourning, your fervent mind toward me ; so that I rejoiced 
the more *' (Chap. vii. 5-7). 

>S'. — In these circumstances, what did Paul do ? 

F. — In the fullness of his heart, he sat down, and wrote this 
second Epistle. Such was the occasion of it, and it followed his 
first Epistle in less than a year. 

S. — Where was he Avhen he wrote it ? 

F. — In ^Macedonia — probably at Philippi. 

S. — What is the character of this Epistle, and hoAV does it com- 
pare with the first. 

F. — Timothy and Titus had spent some time in Corinth, and had 
fully informed themselves as to the state of things, both before and 
after the reception of Paul's Epistle. Of course, they told every- 
thing to the Apostle ; and he adapts his second Epistle to existing 
circumstances. The consequence is, that this Epistle is more vari- 
ous, and has less of plan and method than perhaps any of his 
writings. 

S. — What are some of the principal topics on which the writer 
touches ? 

F. — He begins by referring to his OAvn sufferings, and particu- 
larly to his late trials at Ephesus. He vindicates himself from a 
charge which his enemies had urged against him, viz., that of 
insincerity and fickleness — of saying '' yea and nay," to suit his 
own convenience. He commiserates the case of the sorrowing 
penitent who had been ejected from the church, and directs that 
he be restored and comforted. He consoles himself and his 
friends, in the midst of all their trials, with the prospect of heav- 
enly glory and blessedness ; not only that succeeding the resurrec- 
tion of the body, but that occurring immediately after death : " We 
knoiv that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, 
we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eter- 
nal in the heavens." Hence, '' we are confident and willing rather 
to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord " 



556 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

(Chap. Y. 1, 8). Paul exhorts the Corinthians to avoid matrimo- 
nial alliances which would endanger their piety, and were incon- 
sistent with the gospel : " Be not unequally joked together with 
unbelievers ; for what fellowship hath righteousness with unright- 
eousness, and what communion hath light with darkness, and what 
concord hath Christ with Belial, or what part hath he that believ- 
eth with an infidel ? " (Chap. vi. 14, 15.) In chapters eight and 
nine, Paul introduces the subject, on which his heart was so much 
set — the collection for the poor saints in Judea, and urges the 
Corinthians to liberality by the example of their brethren in Mac- 
edonia. 

In the remainder of the Epistle, Paul vindicates his apostolical 
authority against the clamors of his enemies, interspersing various 
instructions and cautions, as these were suggested. He closes with 
Christian greetings and salutations, and with Apostolical benedic- 
tion. 

aS'. — Who carried this second Epistle ? 

F. — Probably Titus ; and Paul himself went to Corinth shortly 
after, and tarried there for a season. 

S. — Do we hear aught from Corinth in the succeeding part of the 
New Testament? 

F. — Nothing ; the divisions there we may hope were healed, and 
the disorders corrected, through the efforts of the great Apostle, 
and that henceforward the church A^as a comfort to him and an 
honor to Christ. 



CONVERSATION XIII. 

PAUL'S EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS.— When written. -Peter not the founder of the 
church at Rome. — Doctrines taught by this book. — Discussions aroused by this Epistle. 
— Its several sub-divisions. — Practical directions for Christians. — Beauty and value of 
the instruction. 

VII. PAUL'S EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS. 

So7i. — In Avhat language was this Epistle written ? 

Father. — In the Greek language ; for though Paul was writing 
to a Latin city, the Greek was commonly spoken there ; it was the 
language with which the Apostle was most familiar ; and besides, 
this language would adapt the E^Distle to a more general circulation. 

jS. — When and where was the Epistle to the Romans written? 

F. — It was written during Paul's last visit to Corinth, when 
about to leave there to go to Jerusalem, to carry up the collection 
to the saints (Rom. xv. 25). It must have been written about the 
year 57. That the Epistle was written at Corinth is evident from 
two considerations ; 1. It was sent by Phebe, a servant of the 
church at Cenchrea ; and Cenchrea was the port of Corinth. 2. In 
Chap. xvi. 23, Gains is spoken of as Paul's host ; but Gains resided 
at Corinth, and was baptized by Paul (Chap. i. 14). 

S. — Had Paul ever been at Rome when this Epistle was written ? 

F. — He had not, but was intending to go shortly. He did go 
after a time, — not as he expected, but as a prisoner. 

aS'. — At what time was the gospel first preached at Rome ? 

F. — We cannot tell. Among those who were at Jerusalem on 
the day of Pentecost, were " strangers from Rome." If any of these 
were converted, they may have carried the gospel home with them. 
In the continual flux of foreigners from all parts of the empire into 
Rome, it is likely that Christians reached there at a very early 
period. Of one thing we may be certain, that Peter did not plant 
the church at Rome, as Romanists pretend ; for he was not there 
for more than thirty years after the death of Christ, if he ever was. 
And we may be certain of another thing, that there was a large 



558 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 



and flourishing church at Rome, when Paul wrote this Epistle — one 
'' whose faith was spoken of throughout the whole world " (Chap. 
i.8). 

S. — Of what materials was the church of Rome at this period com- 
posed ? 

F. — It consisted of both Jewish and Gentile believers, and dis- 
putes about circumcision and the Jewish law had alread}^ reached 
the imperial city. Perhaps Paul's kno\Yledge of this may have 
been one occasion of his writing. Jews were numerous at Rome 
before the birth of Christ. Some of these may have been early con- 
verted ; or converted Jews may have reached there, among the 
immigrants, who were constantly arriving. 

S. — For ages, this Epistle has been the grea^' battle-ground of the 
church. More controversies have been raised over it, than over 
any other part of the Bible. Can you tell us the reason of this ? 

F, — One reason doubtless is, the nature of the doctrines here in- 
culcated. They are high and mysterious. They relate to subjects 
on which the profoundest minds, in all ages, have been exercised. 
Difficulties have been found, too, from an unwillingness, on the part 
of critics, to receive the plain truths which the Apostle teaches. 
The natural heart is averse to them, and will not receive them. 
A converted caviler once said to me: "When my proud heart was 
humbled, and I was willing to be in the hands of a sovereign God, my 
objections to the Epistle to the Romans all vanished." Yet another 
reason why so much difficulty has been found with this Epistle is, 
that men are unwilling to stop where the Apostle stops. When 
Paul states a simple fact, men must get up a theory to account for 
that fact. The fact ma}^ be clear and plain ; but the theory is 
obscure or absurd, and becomes a matter of debate and controversy. 
The most essential requisite to a right understanding of this Epistle 
is an humble, docile, prayerful spirit — a readiness to do the will of 
God, that so we may know of the doctrine. 

aS'. — Can you furnish us with a brief analysis of this Epistle ? 

F. — It consists, I should say, of three parts. The first, which 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 559 

includes the first eight chapters, is occupied in the discussion of 
the doctrine of justification and its consequences. The second 
part, embracing chapters nine to eleven, treats of the calling of the 
Gentiles, and the rejection and future conversion of the Jews. The 
third part consists of practical exhortations, and salutations of 
Christians at Rome. 

After the usual salutations, Paul begins by showing the entire 
sinfulness and ruin of the Gentile world (i. 18-32). He next 
shows that the Jews are alike guiltj^ and undone ; that " both Jews 
and Gentiles are all under sin" (ii. 1-29). The Jew now objects: 
" What advantage then hath the Jew, and what profit is there of 
circumcision ? " To this the Apostle answers, insisting, at the same 
time, that the advantage does not consist in this, that the Jew can 
be justified by the works of the law. " By the deeds of the law shall 
no flesh be justified in the sight of God ; " but every one, whether 
Jew or Gentile, if justified at all, " must be justified freely by his 
grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." 

" What shall we say then," replies the Jew, " that Abraham our 
father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found ? " Not this, answers 
Paul, that Abraham was justified by works. For it is said, " Abra- 
ham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness." 
And all this was done before he was circumcised ; and he received 
the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith 
which he had yet being uncircumcised, that he might be the father 
of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised, that 
righteousness might be imputed unto them also (Chap. iv. 11). 
The method by which God saves sinners, Paul goes on to say, 
'' is analogous to that by which they were first brought under con- 
demnation." "As by the offence of one, judgment came upon all 
men to condemnation, so by the righteousness of one, the free gift 
came upon all men unto justification of life" (Chap. v. 18). 

" What shall we say then," the Jew retorts ? " Shall we continue 
in sin, that grace may abound ? " " By no means," Paul answers 
" How shall we who are dead to sin live any longer therein ? Sin 



560 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

shall not have dominion over us ; for we are not under the law, but 
under grace " (Chap. vi. 15). 

"What then," the Jew persists; "Shall we sin, because we are 
not under the law, but under grace ? " The Apostle proceeds still 
further to contradict and refute these Antinomian objections, 
through the remainder of the sixth chapter. 

In the seventh chapter, Paul shows, that the use of the law is to 
convict and not to save. It condemns, but cannot deliver. Deliv- 
erance must come, if it comes at all, through faith that is in Christ 
Jesus. And those who have part in this redemption are perfectly 
safe. They are free from the condemning sentence of the law. 
They have the in-dwelling, life-giving Spirit. They are the chosen, 
the called, the justified, according to God's gracious purpose ; and 
will soon be among the glorified children of God. 

aS'. — Thus closes the analysis of what you call the first part of 
the Epistle to the Romans. Please set before us the leading topics 
of the second part. 

F. — This relates to the Divine purpose respecting the Jews — to 
their rejection and future conversion. The Apostle commences the 
ninth chapter with a strong expression of his regard for the Jews. 
" I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart, for my 
brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh." Still, God has 
nowhere bound himself to consider them only as his children. " He 
hath mercy on whom he will have mercy ; and he will have compas- 
sion on whom he will have compassion." And when the objection 
comes up, " Why doth he yet find fault ; for who hath resisted 
his will ? " the Apostle replies, not by a metaphysical explana- 
tion, but by an assertion of the rights and the sovereignty of 
God. "Who art thou, O man, that repliest against God?" The 
rejection of the Jews, the writer goes on to say, is not total ; 
and so far as it extends, is entirely on account of their unbelief. 
Neither is their rejection final. They are yet to be gathered into 
the fold of Christ, " and so all Israel shall be saved " (Chapters 
ix.-xi). 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE, 561 

S. — How will you characterize the third or practical part of the 
Epistle ? 

F. — This extends from the twelfth chapter to the end. It con- 
sists of directions as to the feelings and duties of Christians towards 
God, to one another, to their fellow-creatures, and themselves; and 
for directness, plainness, fullness, conciseness, it is without a 
parallel. I know not Avhere so much sound, ethical, spiritual, 
practical instruction, in so few words, can be found in our own lan- 
guage, or in any other. If Paul had written nothing but the Epis- 
tle to the Romans, he might justly be regarded as the prince, not 
only of theological and religious teachers, but of moral and ethical 
philosphers. 

aS'. — Are not the salutations in the last chapter remarkable, seeing 
that the writer had never been at Rome ? 

F. — They are indeed. They show the intimate acquaintance 
which the Apostle kept up with distinguished Christians in other 
parts of the world, even those whom he had never seen with eyes of 
flesh. They show the int-erest which he felt in them, the love he 
had for them, and their essential unity in Christ their head. These 
holy brethren and sisters are no longer sundered. They have long 
been together in that blessed world to which their Savior went 
before them, and where all the ransomed will shortly follow. Ma^' 
we all be of the happy number. 



CONYEBSATION XIY. 

EPISTLES OF PAUL Continued.— Paul's first voyage to Rome.— His writings while 
there. — Epistle to the Ephesiaus. — Christianity introduced there by Paul. — Analysis 
of this letter. — The Epistle to the Colossians. — The first church established by Paul 
and Silas. 

Father. — While Paul was in Macedonia and Greece, lie seems to 
have written three Epistles ; the first to Timothy, the second to 
the Corinthians, and the E^Distle to the Romans. When he had 
finished taking up collections for the poor at Jerusalem, he passed 
from Corinth, through Macedonia, into Asia. He did not stop at 
Ephesus, but saw the elders of the church at Miletus, and has- 
tened on to Jerusalem to the Passover. At Jerusalem he was 
apprehended and sent a prisoner to Caesarea, where he was de- 
tained two years. 

Son, — Did he write no letters during this interval ? 

F. — None that we know of. Perhaps he could not, the circum- 

7 % 

stances of his confinement forbidding it. At the end of two years, 

he made his voyage to Rome, arriving there in the year 61. Here 

he had more lil)erty. He resided in his own hired house, and 

received all that came to him. Here he wrote five of his Epistles 

that have come to us, viz.., those to the Ephesians, to the Philip- 

pians, to the Colossians, to Philemon, and to the Hebrews ; for I 

cannot doubt that Paul wrote the Epistle to the Hebrews, and 

that it was written at Rome. Let us consider these in the order 

in which they are supposed to have been written. We begin with 

VIII. THE EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 

S. — Where was Ephesus, and for \yliat was it chiefly celebrated ? 

F. — Ephesus was a distinguished city in Asia Minor, situated 
about forty miles south of Smyrna, near the mouth of the river 
Cayster. It was not, like Smyrna, a commercial city, and was 
remarkable, chiefly, for its idolatry. Here was the celebrated tem- 
ple of Diana, — the most magnificent of any temple in Asia. 



CONVERSATIONS OX THE BIBLE. 5Q3 

S. — Wlien, and by whom, was the gospel first preached here ? 

F. — Undoubtedly by the Apostle Paul, about the year 54. On 
his journey from Corinth to Jerusalem, in tliis year, he came to 
Ephesus; but as he intended no more than a passing visit, he 
preached only to the Jews. He was requested to tarry longer, 
bat he could not. He promised, however, to return after his visit 
to Jerusalem ; — which promise he fulfilled, and continued at Ephe- 
sus about three 3'ears.* It was during this period that the church 
was founded, to which the Epistle before us was addressed. 

aS'. — Have not some critics doubted whether this Ej^istle was 
originally addressed to the church at Ephesus. 
^ F. — They have ; but I think without sufficient reason. The 
principal thing urged against the common direction of the Epis- 
tle is, that it contains no allusion to events which occurred during 
Paul's residence at Ephesus, and no salutations of his numerous 
friends there. Perhaps the reason for the latter omission was, 
that liis friends were so numerous. He could not particularly 
mention them all, and did not wish to make invidious distinctions. 
Some have regarded the Epistle as a circular, designed to be read 
in all the churches ; and, in a sense, this is true. Paul did design 
it to be read by other churches ; and the same is true of his 
other Epistles. To the Colossians he says : '' When this Epistle is 
read among you, cause it to be read also in the church of the 
Laodiceans; and that ye also read the Epistle from Laodicea *' 
(Col. iv. 16). But the evidence is decisive that the Epistle before 
us was originally addressed to the Ephesians. Rosenmiiller says 
that " most of the ancient codices, and all the ancient versions," 
so represent it. 

aS'. — Please give us a brief analysis of this Epistle. 

F. — The Epistle obviously consists of two parts, the doctrinal 
and the ^:>r«(?fi(?aZ ; the former occupying the three first chapters, 
and the latter the last three. The doctrines specially taught and 
illustrated are, 1. that of native and entire depravity — ''dead in 

*See Acts xnii. 3, and xix. 1. 



664 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

trespasses and sins" (ii. 1-3). 2. The doctrine of regeneration; 
" You hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins " 
(ii. 1-5). 3. The doctrine of salvation by grace alone, without 
regard to our own works (ii. 8, 9). 4. The doctrine of election or 
predestination. "Being predestinated according to the purpose 
of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own 
will" (i. 11). 

The practical part of the Epistle consists chiefly in exhortations 
to unity and love ; to a holy life, in general, avoiding all sinful 
practices ; and to a strict observance of all relative duties — those 
of husbands and wives, parents and children, masters and servants. 
S. — How do you regard the style of this Epistle ? ' 

F. — It is exceedingly animated. The Apostle loves to dwell on 
the eternal purposes of Divine mercy. Into that subject he entered 
with a full heart. In none of his writings is there evinced more 
ardor and elevation of soul than in this Epistle. The great doc- 
trine of predestination he approaches as one of vital interest im^ 
importance, urging it as the basis of Christian hope, and the foun- 
dation of eternal gratitude and praise. 

IX. EPISTLE TO THE COLOSSIANS. 

>S'. — Why do we take up the Epistle to the Colossians before 
that to the Philippians ? 

F. — Because there is internal evidence that it was written first. 
There is a striking similarity between the Epistles to the Ephe- 
sians and Colossians, which indicates that they were written at 
about the same time. Besides, they were both sent by Tj^chicus, 
who was returning from Rome to Asia, where he belonged. The 
Epistle to the Philippians was evidently Avritten later, near the 
close of Paul's first imprisonment. In Chapter ii. 25, Paul says 
to the Philippians : " I trust in the Lord that I myself shall come 
to you shortly," — implying that he expected soon to be released. 

S. — Where was Colosse, and what can you tell us of its history ? 

F. — Colosse was a celebrated city of Phrygia, in Asia Minor, a 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 565 

little way east from Ephesus, — subject, like all the surrounding 
region, to the Romans. 

aS'. — Who first preached the gospel there ? 

F. — Paul and Silas, accompanied by young Timothy, who was 
just commencing his work as an evangelist. This was during 
Paul's second mission from Antioch. At a later period, Paul 
visited Phrygia and Colosse again (Acts xviii. 23). 

aS". — What do you think of the Epistle to Laodicea, spoken of in 
this Epistle ? (iv. 16.) 

F. — ]My opinion is that there was such an Epistle, which has not 
been preserved. Laodicea was near Colosse, and was the chief 
ci^ of Phrygia. In his tours through Phrygia, Paul must have 
visited it, and planted a church there. And when he was writing 
to Ephesus and Colosse, he could hardly have failed to remember 
Laodicea. Besides, the language of the Apostle in the Epistle 
before us is explicit : " When this Epistle is read among you, cause 
thj|t it be read also in the church of the Laodiceans ; and that you 
also read the Epistle from Laodicea" (ii. 16). Nor do I think it 
any objection to the Bible, that some of the inspired writings may 
have been lost. Their inspiration no more insures them against 
loss, than it does against various readings or mistranslations. If 
some of the inspired writings have been lost, let us love what 
remains to us the more, and cling to it with a firmer grasp. 

S. — Is there not a Avriting extant claiming to be the lost Epis- 
tle to the Laodiceans? 

F. — There is; but it has no authority. It is universally re- 
garded as a forgery. 

S. — What was the occasion and design of this Epistle to the 
Colossians ? 

F. — There were errors threatening, and to some extent prevail- 
ing, at Colosse, which the Apostle hoped to correct. Some of 
these errors were of a philosophical cast, growing out of the 
spreading influence of Gnosticism. This led the Apostle to say : 
'' Beware, lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain 

36 



566 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, 
and not after Christ." In another place, he says : " Let no man 
beguile you of your reward, in a voluntary humility, and worship- 
ing of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, 
vainly puffed up in his fleshly mind." Still another class of 
errors arose from the influence of Judaizing teachers, which led the 
watchful Apostle to say: "Let no man, therefore, judge you in 
meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holy day, or of the new moon, 
or of the Sabbath day" (Chap. ii. 8, 16, 18). 

S. — Does not this last passage prove that the weekly Sabbath 
had been abolished, together with other Jewish observances ? 

F. — I think not. The Sabbath days here spoken of were pmo- 
ably Jewish festal days, which Avere days of rest, and were fre- 
quently called Sabbaths. Or if the weekly was referred to, it 
must have been the Seventh-day, Jewish Sabbath, which was 
already giving place to " the Lord's day " — the first day of the 
week. It was on this day that the churches generally, and espe- 
cially those among the Gentiles, assembled for worship (see 1 Cor. 
xvi. 2). 

S. — Were there not errors in practice, as well as in doctrine, 
against which the Apostle protests ? 

F — There is no mention of any disorders, like those which pre- 
vailed in the church at Corinth, or of any sins, except such as were 
common to all the heathen before conversion. Paul does indeed 
say to his brethren : " Mortify, therefore, your members which are 
upon the earth, fornication, un cleanness, inordinate affection, evil 
concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry; for which 
things the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience ; 
in the Avhich ye also Avalked, Avhen ye lived in them. But now ye 
also put off all these ; anger, Avrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy com- 
munication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing 
that ye have put off the old man, with his deeds, and have put on 
the new man, which is renewed in knowledge, after the image of 
him that created him" (Chap. iii. 5-10^. 



CONVERSATIOXS OX THE BIBLE. 567 

S. — Were there any special reasons why an Epistle was sent by 
Paul to the Colossians at this time ? 

F. — There were. Philemon, to whom Onesimiis, his converted 
servant, was at this time sent back with a letter, was a member of 
the church at Colosse. This may have been one reason why a letter 
was also sent to that church. -Another reason was, that Epapliras, 
a much beloved member of the Colossian church, was at that time 
a fellow prisoner with Paul at Rome, and he wished to inform them 
respecting their brother. "Epaphras, my felloAv prisoner, who is 
one of vou, a servant of Christ, saluteth vou, alwavs laborino; fer- 
vently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete 
1^ all the will of God " (Chap. iv. 12.) 

This Epistle so closely resembles that to the Ephesians, that any 
remarks as to the style and manner of it are needless. 



CONVERSATION XV. 

EPISTLES OF PAUL Continued.— Epistle to Philemon.— Who Philemon was.— The 
servant of Philemon. — The question of human slavery. — Did Paul countenance it. — 
Epistle to the Philippians. — Description of Philippi. — Paul and Silas co-laborers here. 
— Miraculous deliverance from prison. — Character of this Epistle. 

X. EPISTLE TO PHILEMON. 

Son. — WIuD was Philemon? 

Father. — He was a member of the church at Colosse, and a man 
of wealth and influence in the church ; for the Apostle, expecting 
ere long to return there, asks him to provide him a lodging (v. 22.) . 

S. — Arid who was Onesimus ? 

F. — He was a servant of Philemon, — whether such b}" purchase, 
or indenture, or hire, we cannot say, — who had run away from his 
master at Colosse, and had come to Rome. Here he found Paul, a 
prisoner at large, with whom he may have had some acquaintance 
at Colosse. Through the influence of the Apostle, Onesimus was 
converted. He may have been a wild and intractable youth before, 
but he is now a new creature — in his right mind — prepared to sit 
at the feet of Christ, and to do him service. He wishes to return 
to his master at Colosse, and Paul Avishes.to have him. He does 
not wish to harbor or encourage a fugitive, without the consent of 
his master. And so Paul writes a letter to Philemon — the very 
letter which we have before us — and sends it by the hand of 
Onesimus, who goes Avith Tychicus, carrying letters to the Colos- 
sians and the Ephesians. 

S. — Was it the design of Paul, in returning Onesimus, to con- 
sign him back to slavery ? And may his example be referred to, in 
our day, in justification of returning fugitive slaves? 

F. — I think not. There is a mighty difference in the two cases. 
We do not know, in the first place, that Onesimus was a proper 
slave. He may have been a hired servant, or an indented appren- 
tice. But supposing he was a proper slave, bought with money, and 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 569 

legally held to service for life, Paul did not consign him to perpet- 
ual slavery, but encouraged him to go back with a letter, which he 
knew would be likely to effect his freedom, — as undoubtedly it did. 
The hunter of slaves, in our day, does consign them to perpetual 
slavery, and often to punishment. This is what he expects and in- 
tends to do, and is paid for doing. But Paul sends Onesimus back 
under circumstances which he expects and intends shall secure his 
freedom, preferring that the young man should be legally free, 
rather than bear the reproach and the hazards of a fugitive. 

S. — What arguments does Paul use, to induce Philemon to 
release his servant ? 

F. — None directly ; but indirectly and most skillfully he makes 
suggestions and entreaties, all tending to that result. " Where- 
fore, though I might be much bold in Christ to enjoin thee that 
which is convenient, yet, for love's sake, I rather beseech thee, 
being such a one as Paul the aged, and uoav also a prisoner of Jesus 
Christ, — I beseech thee for my son Onesimus, whom I have begot- 
ten in my bonds, who, in time past was to thee unprofitable, but 
now profitable to thee and to me, Avhom I have sent again. Thou, 
therefore, receive him, i. e., mine own bowels ; whom I would have 
retained with me, that, in thy stead, he might have ministered unto 
me in the bonds of the gospel. But without thy mind I would do 
nothing, that thy benefit should not be as it were of necessity, but 
willingly. For perhaps he therefore departed for a season, that 
thou shouldst receive him forever, not now as a servant, but above 
a servant, a brother beloved, especialh' to me, but how much more 
unto thee, both in the flesh and in the Lord. If thou count me 
therefore a partner, receive him as myself. If he hath wronged 
thee, or oweth thee aught, put that on my account. I, Paul, have 
written it with my own hand, I will repay it ; albeit I do not say 
to thee how thou owest unto me even thine own self. Yea, 
brother, let me have joy of thee in the Lord. Refresh my bowels 
in the Lord. Having confidence in thy obedience, I have writ- 
ten unto thee, knowing that thou wilt do more "than I say" 



570 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

(verses 8-21). Was ever anything more adroitly touching, melt- 
ing, and irresistibly persuasive than this ? No wonder that the 
result was in accordance with the Apostle's wishes. 

S. — How has this short Epistle been regarded by the best inter- 
preters ? 

F. — They have spoken of it with unmeasured praise. One calls 
it " a bright and beautiful gem in the volume of inspiration." 
Another says, " It is exquisitely beautiful and delicate, a model of 
courtesy and politeness. It presents the character of the author in 
a most amiable light, and shows what true religion will produce, in 
causing genuine refinement of thought and language." Dr. Dod- 
dridge saj^s : " It is impossible to read over this admirable Epistle, 
without being touched with the delicacy of sentiment, and the 
masterl}^ address, that appear in every part of it. If this letter were 
to be considered in no other view than as a mere human composi- 
tion, it must be allowed to be a masterpiece in its kind."^ 

XI. EPISTLE TO THE PHILIPPIANS. ^^ 

aS'. — We have heard much of Philippi in these Conversations, but 
should like to have a more particular description of the place. 

F. — Philippi received its name from Philip, the father of Alexan- 
der the great. When the Romans took possession of it, the advan- 
tages of its situation induced them to send a colony there, and it 
became one of the most flourishing cities of the empire. 

S. — Who first preached the gospel here ? 

F. — Paul and Silas, and the young men who accompanied them. 
We have a full account of their first visit to Philippi in the six- 
teenth chapter of the Acts. Here it was that '' the Lord opened 
the heart of Lydia, that she should attend to the things that were 
spoken of Paul." Here it was that the jailor was converted, and 
Paul and Silas were miraculously delivered from prison. Philippi 
was the first place in Europe which Paul visited, and this fact 
invests it with more of interest and honor than any other connected 
with its history. 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 571 

S. — Did Paul make more than one visit to Philippi ? 

F. — Yes ; in his passages between Europe and Asia, he was 
repeatedly here. It was here that he wrote his first Epistle to 
Timothy, and his second to the Corinthians. It was a place which 
he loved to visit, and where he was ever cordially entertained. 

^S". — Where was Paul when he w^rote his Epistle to the Philip- 
pi ans ? 

F. — He was undoubtedly at Rome ; and it seems to have been 
near the close of his first imprisonment. This is evident from sev- 
eral considerations. He had now been so long at Rome that 
" his bonds were talked of in all the palace," and ^' in all other 
places," and some of Caesar's household w^ere numbered among his 
converts (Chap. i. 13, and iv. 22). His good conduct as a prisoner 
had become so well known, that it contributed not a little to the 
success of the gospel. " Many of the brethren, waxing confident 
by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear " 
QQiiap. i. 14). Then at the time when this Epistle was written, 
Paul regarded the decision of his case as near at hand. " I hope to 
send Timothy presently, so soon as I see how it will go with me. 
I trust in the Lord that I myself also shall come shortly " (Chap, 
ii. 22, 23). It was Avhile Paul was deliberating on the near pros- 
pect of a release, or an execution, that he speaks of the compara- 
tive desirableness of life and of death. " For me to live is Christ, 
and to die is gain. I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to 
depart and be with Christ, which is far better " (Chap. i. 23). 

S. — What Avas the immediate occasion of this Epistle ? 

F. — The Philippians had sent Epaphroditus, one of their breth- 
ren, to Rome, to carry supplies to the Apostle during his confine- 
ment. Epaphroditus had been dangerously sick there. On his 
recovery Paul deemed it desirable that he should return at once to 
Philippi, carrying his thanks for their timely assistance, and a letter 
giving them information as to his condition and prospects. This 
letter is the one before us. 

aS'. — What have you to say as to the character of this Epistle ? 



572 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

F. — No one of Paul's Epistles is so tender, and abounds so much 
with expressions of kindness, as this. In the case oF other churches, 
the Apostle was often under the necessity of administering reproof; 
but in the church at Philippi, there was very little that required 
censure, while there was much that demanded commendation and 
gratitude. The conduct of these brethren towards the Apostle had 
been generous and noble, and he could but thank and bless them 
for it. His language to them throughout is of the most affectionate 
character, such as a benevolent heart always wishes to employ, and 
such as must have been most grateful to them. 

It is interesting, too, to regard the circumstances of Paul, and to 
look at the Epistle as growing right out of them. He had long 
been a prisoner, under heavy accusations ; and although there was 
some expectation of a speedy release, yet his situation was such as 
constrained him to look death in the face. His language, at such a 
time, we might expect would be solemn, confident, tender and affec- 
tionate, and such we find it through the whole Epistle, It is the 
language of a father, rather than that of a teacher and Apostle ; the 
tender entreaties of a friend, rather than the injunctions of one 
having authority. To all ages, it will be a model of affectionate 
suggestion and advice. 



CONVERSATION XYI. 

EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS.— The Jews to whom this was written.— Disputed 
authorship.— The leadiug idea of this Epistle. — Bishop Clement of Rome. — Paul's 
friend. — Paul's authorship established. — The importance of the authorship of this 
Epistle. — One of the most valued parts of the New Testament. 

jSon. — Who were the Hebrews to whom this Epistle was ad- 
dressed ? 

Father.— Thej were certainly Jews ; for this name was never ap- 
plied to any other people. They were also converted Jews. This 
is evident from the Epistle itself. The writer is not addressing un- 
believing, blaspheming Jews, but those who had adopted the 
Christian faith. It is likely that the Epistle was addressed, prima- 
rily, to the Jews in Palestine. Foreign Jews were not commonly 
called Hebrews, but Hellenists, strangers, the dispersed, etc. 

S. — Who wrote the Epistle to the Hebrews ? 

F. — This has long been, and still is, a disputed question. My 
own opinion is that Paul wrote this Epistle ; but some learned men 
think differently. 

aS'. — What considerations are urged to show that Paul did not 
write it ? 

F. — One is, that his name is not prefixed to it as it is to his other 
Epistles. But I think this omission may be satisfactorily exj)lained. 
There was a strong prejudice among the Jews, even Christian 
Jews, against Paul. This prejudice was so strong that many 
of them, during the life of Paul, were led to deny his Apos- 
tleship, which circumstance imposed on him the disagreeable 
necessity of vindicating it. At a later period these Judaizing 
Christians rejected all the Epistles of Paul, and regarded them as of 
no authority. Paul was perfectly aware of this feeling of hostility 
among his Jewish brethren. Still, he felt a deej) interest in them, 
and an earnest desire to do them good. It was in the hope of 
doiiig them good that he wrote them this Epistle; and, as a wise 



574 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

man, he Avould not bar the effort and preclude the possibility of a 
good result by prefixing his name to it. 

S. — Is there any other argument of importance against the 
Pauline origin of this Epistle ? 

F. — It is said to contain many words and phrases which are not 
found in the other Epistles of Paul. But this argument is of little 
weight. There are peculiar words and phrases in Paul's other 
Epistles. In writing on different occasions, to different persons or 
churches, and on different subjects, he was constrained to use dif- 
ferent words and phrases. The peculiarities in this respect, in the 
Epistle to the Hebrews, are not more numerous or various than the 
subjects of which he was called to treat. 

S. — Please give us a succinct account of the arguments which 
satisfy you that Paul is the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews. 

F. — I would cite, in the first place, the standing title of the F!ms- 
tle in our Bibles : '' The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the 
Hebrews." This title, though not written by the author of the 
Epistle, and having no Divine authority, was very early prefixed to 
it. It is found, not only in the Greek manuscripts, but in all the 
early versions, as the Syriac and the Itala, and expresses, without 
doubt, the current belief at the time. It is scarcely possible tliat a 
mistake should be so early made on this point; and unless we have 
strong evidence to the contrary, the fact liere adduced ought to 
determine the question. 

Then the cluu^acter and the chx-umstcmces of the writer of this 
Epistle all agree to the Apostle Paul and to no one else. For ex- 
ample, the writer must have been a Jew, a learned Jew, one per- 
fectly acquainted with Jewish institutions and rites. And yet he 
was a converted Jew, a firm believer in the Messiahship of Jesus, 
and admirably qualified to unfold the spiritual significance of the 
Hebrew ritual. Now all this agrees perfectly to the Apostle Paul, 
and not in an equal degree to au}^ other Christian of that age. 
Again : this Epistle must have been written while the Jewish tem- 
ple was standing and its rites Avere performed, ^. e., previous to the 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 575 

year 70, when Jerusalem aucl the temple were both destroyed (see 
Heb. viii. 4-5). At the same time it was written pretty far down 
in the Apostolic age, when the j)ersons addressed are exhorted to 
'* call to remembrance the former days, when they were first illu- 
minated, and were called to endure a great fight of affliction." 
They are reminded, too, that, considering the time and privileges 
which they had enjoyed, they " ought now to be teachers, and not 
need that one should teach them again what be the first principles 
of the oracles of God." No time can be fixed upon as better con- 
forming to both these intimations, than about the year 63, when 
Paul is supposed to have written the Epistle. Still again : the 
author of this Epistle was, at the time of writing, a resident in 
Italy, and a companion and friend of Timothy. " They of Italy 
salute you." " Our brother Timothy is set at liberty," or, as it may 
better be rendered, is sent aiuay (Chap. xiii. 23, 24). The writer 
h^ also been a prisoner, perhaps was so still, but was expecting 
s^i to be released : " Ye had compassion on me in my bonds." 
"Fray for us, that I may be restored to you the sooner " (Chap. x. 
34; xiii. 19). Noav all these circumstances agree to Paul exactly, 
and so far as we can learn to no one else. I mention but another 
particular in which the writer of this Epistle agrees with Paul. He 
had not been a hearer or follower of Christ, during his public min- 
istry : " How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation, 
whi#h at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was con- 
firmed unto us hy them that heard him^^ (Chap. ii. 3). Now Paul, 
although he had enjoyed much communion with Christ, had not 
been, as far as we know, a personal hearer of him. 

I remark again ; the doctrines of this Epistle agree entirely with 
those of Paul. In all his Epistles, the death of Christ is set forth 
as the great propitiatory sacrifice for sin, of which the bloody sac- 
rifices of the former dispensation were but the type. I need not 
say that such is the leading, crowning doctrine of the Epistle before 
us. Some of the great doctrines of the gospel are more clearly pre- 
sented, and more fully explained in the Epistle to the Hebrews, 



576 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

than in any other part of the New Testament. Still, they are 
thronghout the doctrines of Paul. 

Still again; t\\Q form Siiidi method oi the Epistle to the Hebrews 
are the same as in the acknowledged Epistles of Paul. Under this 
head, I will notice but one particular. The first part of the other 
Epistles is usually doctrinal and argumentative, while the latter 
part is practical and hortatory. And just so we find it in the 
Epistle to the Hebrews. The writer begins to apply and enforce 
his reasonings at about the middle of the tenth chapter, and so con- 
tinues to the end. -^ 

S. — The style of this Epistle is continually urged to disprove its 
Pauline origin. How does this matter seem to you? • 

F. — I insist that the style of the Epistle to the Hebrews, in its 
general characteristics, is very like to that of the Epistles of Paul. 
In both, there is a flow and fullness of style which can hardly 
restrained. The mind of the writer is filled to overflowing ; so tj 
if, in the midst of a discussion, an important thought strikes 1^ 
he is obliged to go off in a long parenthesis before he can finish 
point in hand. I need not refer to instances of this kind in the 
acknowledged Epistles of PauL But we find the same in the 
Epistle to the Hebrews. As examples of this kind, see Chap. iv. 
7-9, vii. 21, ix. 9,10, xii. 20, 21. In numerous instances, too, Ave 
have expressions \n the Epistle to the Hebrews precisely similar to 
some in the other Epistles of Paul. Also the salutations and bene- 
dictions at the close of the Epistle to the Hebrews are verj' like to 
those of Paul. " Salute them which have the rule over you ; the}^ 
of Italy salute you. Grace be with you all. Amen." 

S. — What is the testimon}^ of history on this question ? 

F. — It is certain that the Epistle before us was received among 
the canonical books of the Christians, both in the East and the 
West, at the close of the first century, or in the very beginning of 
the second. It is contained in the Peshito, an old Syrian version 
of the New Testament, and also in the old Latin version, both made 
at a very early period. And what is, if possible, more conclusive, it 



L the 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 577 

is quoted repeatedly by Clement of Rome, in his first Epistle to the 
Corinthians, and quoted as having scriptural authority. Now this 
Clement was one of the first bishops or pastors of the church at 
Rome, and a personal friend of Paul, of whom the Apostle saj's that 
'' his name is in the book of life " (Phil. iv. 3). Living at the very 
time and in the place where this Epistle was written, Clement must 
have known who wrote it. Pantsemus was the most learned man 
of his time, the founder of the celebrated school at Alexandria, 
who lived within less than a hundred years of the Apostles. In a 
passage preserved by Eusebius, he says expressly that Paul Avrote 
the Epistle to the Hebrews.* The successor of Pantsemus in the 
school which he had founded was Clement of Alexandria. In an 
extract from him preserved also by Eusebius he affirms that Paul is 
the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews. f Origen, who succeeded 
Clement in the school at Alexandria, who was born about the jear 
1^, and was the most learned of the ancient fathers, refers re- 
peatedly and expressly to the Apostle Paul as the author of the 
Epistle to the Hebrews. Thus, "in the Epistle to the Hebrews, 
the same Paul says ; " and again, " Paul, in the Epistle to the 
Hebrews says ; " and yet again, ''Paul, the greatest of the Apostles, 
writing to the Hebrews, says," etc. J Eusebius, the great historian 
of the ancient church, says, " Fourteen Epistles are clearly and 
certainly Paul's."' Of course, he includes the Epistle to the He- 
brews ; since, without it, there would be but thirteen Epistles. 
This Epistle is often quoted by Eusebius as Scripture, and as 
belonging to Paul. 

S. — Your authorities, thus far, are from the eastern church. 
How was it in the western ? 

F. — In the western church we have seen that this Epistle was 
received and quoted as Scripture by Clement of Rome, before the 
close of the first century. It is also found in the oldest Latin ver- 



*Lib. vi. Cap. 14, 
tLib. vi. Cap. 25. 
\\n Students' Com Vol. i. pp. 109, 110. 



578 CONVEHSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

sions of the New Testament. Circumstances occurred, however, 
about the commencement of the third century and onward, tending 
to bring the Epistle to the Hebrews into disrepute, and cause its 
canonical authority to be doubted of by some of the Latin fathers. It 
was received, however, by Ambrose, bishop of Milan, and by Jerome 
and Augustine. And their authority seems to have been effectual 
in re-establishing the credit of the Epistle in the western churches. 
We hear of no more doubts respecting it subsequent to their tite^^. 

S. — Is there not a clear intimation in 2 Peter iii. 15, that Paul 
wrote the Epistle to the Hebrews ? 

F. — There certainly is ; and I am glad to notice it. In the ea'tfly 
division of apostolical labor, it was arranged that Paul should ga to 
the Gentiles, and Peter to the circumcision (see Gal. ii. 9). Hence, 
during the latter part of his public life, Peter seems to have con- 
fined his ministry chiefly to the Jews. His first Epistle J[^s 
addressed, not to the native inhabitants of the countries ^^^^^re 
they dwelt, but to the " strangers scattered throughout " those 
countries, i. e., to the dispersed converted Hebrews or Jews. And 
the second was addressed to the same people. " This second Epis- 
tle, beloved, I now write unto you'' — the same people to whom the 
first Epistle was addressed. But in his second Epistle, Peter tells 
these converted Hebrews that his beloved brother Paul had written 
tJiem a letter — a letter addressed to them particularly, in distinction 
from his other Epistles. " Even as our beloved brother PauJ^hath 
written unto you^ as also in all his Epistles, speaking of these 
things." It seems, then, that Paul had actually written a letter to 
the converted Hebrews or Jews — the same people to whom Peter 
was writing. But where shall we look for this Epistle of Paul ? 
Where shall we find it, if it be not our Epistle to the Hebrews ? 

S. — What was Professor Stuart's opinion on this question ? 

F. — After a most thorough and exhaustive examination of the 
whole subject, he adds : " I cannot hesitate to believe that the 
weight of evidence from tradition is altogether preponderant in 
favor of the opinion that Paul was the author of our Epistle." 




CONVERSATIOXS ON THE BIBLE. 579 

S. — Of how much huportance is it to establish the Pauline 
origin of this Epistle ? 

F. — It is of very great importance ; since otherwise we cannot 
vindicate its canonical authority. The early Christians admitted 
nothing into the canon but what they knew was written by an 
Apostle, or written under his immediate direction. '' This," says 
Professor Stuart, " is an articulus stantis vel cadentis auctoritatis in 
respect to the New Testament canon." To be sure, Mark and 
Luke were not Apostles, but then we have it from the Christian 
fathers that the gospel of Mark was written under the direction 
of Peter, and the writings of Luke under the oversight of Paul. 
Eusebius says : " All things in Mark are but memoirs of Peter's 
discourses ; " and Irenseus testifies that " Luke, the companion of 
Paul, put down in a book, the gospel preached by him." Tl^e 
Bisistle to the Hebrews could never have been received into the 
caaion, at the close of the first century, or for the next hundred 
yjgrs, unless it were known to have been the work of an Apostle. 
But if it was the work of an Apostle, can its author have been any 
other than the Apostle Paul ? 

aS',»— If Paul wrote the Epistle to the Hebrews, when and where 
did he write it ? 

F. — It was written in Italy, and probably at Rome : " They of 
Italy salute you." I have before shown that it must have been 
written pretty far down in the Apostolic age, — probabl}^ near the 
close of Paul's first imprisonment. — near the time of the writing of 
the -Epistle to the Philippians. The writer speaks of himself as 
not yet at liberty, but hopes to be shortly (Chap. xiii. 19, 23). 

S. — In what language was this Epistle written ? 

F. — In the Greek, undoubtedly. The Greek language was now 
common^ spoken among the Jews in Palestine. If there ever was 
a Hebrew original, none of the fathers ever saw it or speak of it. 

S. — What was the obvious design of the Epistle ? 

F. — It was to strengthen the faith of the Hebrew Christians, and 
keep them from relapsing into Judaism or infidelity. The Apostle 



580 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

begins by showing that -the author of the Christian religion was 
superior in rank to tlie old prophets, and even to the angels. He 
was over all things, and all things were subject unto him. Hence 
there were special reasons why we should listen to him and obey his 
commands. 

Having shown that the great Founder of the Christian faith was 
superior to the prophets, to Moses, and to the angels, the writer 
proceeds to say that this religion has a high priest who is vastly 
higher than that of the Jews, of whom the Jewish high priest 
was but an emblem, a type. He shows that all the rites of the 
ancient religion, splendid as they were, were also but types, a^ 
were to vanish aAvay. He further shows that the Christian's lygh 
priest had an origin more ancient and venerable than that of the 
Jews ; for he went back to Melchizedek, who lived long before the 
birth of Aaron. The Jew's high priest entered once a year into the 
holy places made with hands ; but the great High Priest of the 
Christian profession had gone into the Holy Place above, where he 
ever lived to make intercession for his people. 

By considerations such as these, the Apostle endeavors to pre- 
serve his Jewish brethren from falling awa3^ Why should they go 
back from the substance to the shadow ? Why linger around the 
earthly tabernacle, and contemplate the high priest there, Ayhen they 
had such a perfect and glorious high priest, who had gone to be 
their Advocate in heaven? The Apostle proceeds to urge upon his 
Jewish brethren, that if they rejected the sacrifice of the Son of 
God, there was no hope for them. There remained no other sacri- 
fice for sin. The Jewish rites were soon to pass away ; and even 
if they did not, they could not cleanse the soul from sin. They 
must therefore hold fast their profession. They might be persecu- 
ted and opposed, yet they must cling to their hope ; for this was 
their last hope, it was their all. 

S. — Is not this Epistle to be regarded as a most important part of 
the sacred word ? 

F. — Most certainly it is. Without this Epistle the Book of God 





CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 581 

would be incomplete and imperfect. We have enjoined in the Old 
Testament a great variety of religious rites and institutions — the 
ark of the covenant, the tabernacle, the altar, the sacrifices, the 
festivals, the priesthood; and without an interpreter, they would 
be regarded as little more than mere forms. In fact, by the great 
body of the Jews, they w^ere so regarded at the coming of Christ. 
The world needs an interpreter of these institutions ; and in the 
Epistle to the Hebrews, we have such an interpreter. We know 
the import now of these venerable institutions. The tabernacle^ 
the temple, the ark of the covenant, the smoking altars and incense, 
the morning and evening sacrifice, the services of the great day of 
atonement, all are shown to be full of glorious meaning ; and the 
ritual of the Old Testament, which otherwise would have had no 
significance, is exhibited ag» the richest portion of it — the very 
gospel of God's ancient church. Let us be thankful, then, for the 
Epistle to the Hebrews, and that it comes to us with so convincing 
evidence, as being of Pauline, apostolical origin and authority — 
a most important part of the Book of God. 



CONVERSATION XYIl. 

EPISTLE TO TITUS.— One of Paul's evangelists.— His field of labor.— Introduction of 
the Gospel into Crete. — The commission of Titus to appoint elders. — Second Epistle to 
Timothy. — The last of Paul's Epistles. — Expectation of death. — In prison. — Beautiful 
sentiments. 

XIII. THE EPISTLE TO TITUS. • 

Son. — What can you tell us about Titus ? 

Father. — He was one of Paul's evangelists, who was with him in 
his missionary labors, and executed his commands. He was a 
Greek by birth, had not been circumcised, and would not consent 
to be (Gal. ii. 3). He was converted under the ministry of Paul, 
who calls him "his own son in the faith." 

S. — Where do Ave first hear of hin^^in connection with Paul ? 

F. — He went with Paul and Barnabas from Antioch to Jerusa- 
lem, on the question of circumcising the Gentile converts (Gal. ii. 
1). Perhaps Paul took him as a fair specimen of a Gentile convert 
who had not been circumcised. 

S. — Where do we next hear of Titus as laboring under Paul's 
direction ? 

F. — He probably returned with Paul from Jerusalem to Antioch, 
and may have been with him generally on his second mission. He 
certainly was with Paul during his long stay at Ephesus, and was 
the bearer of his first Epistle to the Corinthians. Paul anxiously 
waited his return, and was overjoyed on meeting him in Macedonia, 
and hearing from him the good results of the Epistle. We hear 
nothing of Titus after this, until we meet him in Crete, in the 
Epistle before us. 

>S'.— Where is Crete? 

F. — It is a large island in the Mediterranean, lying at some dis- 
tance south of the Grecian islands. The character of the Cretans, 
in their heathen state, was very bad (Chap. i. 12). At the time of 
the Apostles, Crete was a Roman province. 

S. — When was the gospel introduced into Crete ? 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 583 

F. — We cannot tell. Among the persons who were at Jerusalem 
on the day of Pentecost, are mentioned Cretans. If any of these 
were converted, they may have carried home with them some 
knowledge of the gospel. We have no account in the New Testa- 
ment of the visit of any Apostle to Crete, except that Paul merely 
touched these on his voyage to Rome (see Acts xxvii. 6, 7). The 
probability therefore is, that Paul visited the island, in company 
Avith Titus, after his release from liis first imprisonment, about 
the year 63. He preached the gospel extensively, and founded 
churches ; but being called to depart sooner than he expected, he 
left Titus behind him to " set in order the things that were w^ant- 
ing, and ordain elders in every city.*' 

aS*. — Such then was the occasion of this Epistle. Can you tell us 
where it was written ? 

F. — Not certainly. Perhaps at Nicopolis ; since Paul directs 
Titus to meet him there (Chap. iii. 12). But this does not much 
help the matter ; since there were several cities in and around 
Greece bearing the name of Nicopolis. It may have been Nicopolis 
in Macedonia, or it may have been Nicopolis in Epirus. 

S. — What, in general, are the contents of this Epistle ? 

F. — These are indicated in the duties which Paul was left in 
Crete to discharge : He was to " ordain elders in every city." 
Consequently, some space is occupied in describing the qualifica- 
tions of the persons to be ordained (Chap. i. 6-9). Paul cautionc 
Titus to be on his guard against " unruly talkers," and Judaizing 
teachers ; for those disturbers of the peace had already found their 
way into Crete. He directs Titus as to the instruction he was to 
impart to different classes of persons — to the aged and the young, 
to masters and servants. He directs him as to his own deportment 
and doctrine ; and the discipline of the churches. In short, as Dr. 
Paley remarks in his Horse Paulinse, " Here is a striking resem- 
blance between the circumstances which induced Paul to leave 
Titus in Crete, and those which existed at Ephesus, when he left 
Timothy there (see 1 Tim. i. 3, 4). We know that Paul was 



584 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

driven away from Ephesus before he had finished his work there ; 
and it is not at all improbable that some such disturbance might 
have hastened his departure from Crete. 

S, — Is there any reason to think that Titus was constituted 
bishop of Crete ? 

F. — There is not, but much reason to the contrar3\ When Titus 
had set in order what remained to be done in Crete, he was to meet 
the Apostle at Nicopolis. At a later period, we hear of him as 
having gone to Dalmatia (2 Tim. iv. 10). 

XIV. SECOND EPISTLE TO TIMOTHY. 

S. — Is this the last of Paul's Epistles ? 

F, — It is the last of which we have any knowledge. It was evi- 
dently written from Rome while Paul was a prisoner there. Some 
think that it was written during his first imprisonment ; or, as they 
would say, during his only imprisonment. But I cannot be of this 
opinion. Paul's circumstances, when he wrote this Epistle, were 
very different from what they were during his first imprisonment. 
Then he was what may be called a prisoner at large. " He dwelt 
in his own hired house, and received all who came unto him." But 
now he was in close confinement — so close that his friends could 
scarcely find him (Chap. i. 17). During his first imprisonment, 
especially in the latter part of it, Paul expected a speedy release. 
" Prepare me a lodging ; for I trust that, through your prayers, I 
shall be given unto you " (Phil. v. 22). But when he wrote the 
Epistle before us, he had no such expectations. So far from this, 
he expected a speedy death. " I am noAV ready to be offered, and 
the time of my departure is at hand " (Chap. iv. 6). 

S. — Is there not an intimation in this Epistle, that Paul had been 
previously imprisoned, and had been delivered ? 

F. — So I understand it : " At m}^ first answer, no man stood with 
me, but all men forsook me. Notwithstanding the Lord stood with 
me, and strengthened me ; and I was delivered out of the mouth of 
the lion." And Avhy delivered ? " That by me the preaching might 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 585 

be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear." In other 
words, '-^ i\i2it I might again preach Christ to the Gentiles.'''' Accord- 
ingly, several of the earl}^ fathers testify, that Paul ivas released 
from his first imprisonment ; that he visited several of the churches 
which he had before planted ; that he preached more widely among 
the Gentiles than he had ever done ; that he was finally brought to 
Rome during the persecution under Nero, imprisoned a second time, 
and put to death. It was during this last imprisonment, that the 
Epistle before us Avas written, — about the year Qb. 

S. — Where was Timothy at this time ? 

F. — Probably at Ephesus. For he was directed to salute the 
household of good Onesiphorus, wdio we know was an Ephesian (see 
Chap. i. 18, iv. 19). He was also warned to beware of "Alexander 
the coppersmith " — another Ephesian (see Chap. iv. 15, 1 Tim. i. 
20). Timothy had been with Paul at Rome, — not literally impris- 
oned, perhaps, but confined, as it were, by the necessities of Paul's 
situation ; but the Apostle had released him, and sent him to 
Ephesus.* He now recalls him, and sends Tychicus to take his 
place (Chap. iv. 12). 

S. — Can anything be learned from the Scriptures as to Paul's 
missionary labors and travels, after the close of his first imprison- 
ment ? 

F. — I think there may. He undoubtedly visited many of the 
churches in Asia Minor and in Greece, which he had formerly 
planted. He had been at Corinth ; for Erastus chose to remain there. 
He had been at Miletus ; for there he left Trophimus sick (Chap. iv. 
20). He had been at Troas ; for there he left his cloak and his 
parchments. He had also been at Crete ; for there he had con- 
ducted a successful mission, and had left Titus to complete what he 
was obliged to leave unfinished. AYhether he accomplished his pro- 
jected journey into Spain, the Scriptures do not inform us. We 
infer from a passage in Clement that he did ; for he says that Paul 
traveled "to the utmost boundaries of the West." We may be 

*This I take to be the meaning of Heb. xiii. 23. 



586 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

sure that he was busy, so long as he had his liberty. And his ene- 
mies were busy also ; for they seized him and brought him to Rome 
during the terrible persecution under IN^ero, and there he was, a 
close prisoner, when this Epistle was written. 

S. — As to the occasion of the Epistle we need not further 
inquire ; but you will please give us your opinion as to the interest 
and importance of it. 

F. — From what has been said, it will be seen that the Epistle 
must be one of very great interest. Who would not wish to hear 
the last words of such a man as the Apostle Paul — what he said, 
wrote, and did in the last days of his life — when in the near and 
certain prospect of death ? Who would not wish to read what 
he wrote to a favorite young minister, his dearest personal friend, 
under these trying and awful circumstances ? Here are no shrink- 
ings, no misgivings, no regrets at the sacrifices he had made, the 
labors he had performed, and the sufferings he had endured in the 
service of Christ, but all is confidence, earnestness, victory, and 
praise. " My outward man may perish, but my inner man is full of 
life. My enemies may kill this poor body ; but my Redeemer lives, 
and his cause shall live and triumph in the earth. T go from the 
scaffold to a throne and a crown — from the executioner's block to 
a kingdom in the heavens — to a seat at the right hand of my 
Redeemer and Judge." Yes, "I am noAV ready to be offered, and 
the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I 
have finished my course, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there 
is laid up for me a crown of righteousness which the Lord, the 
righteous Judge, shall give me at that day ; and not to me only, but 
unto all them that love his appearing." 

Watts's versification of this dying declaration of the great Apostle 
is so sublime and beautiful that I cannot help repeating it. 

" Death may dissolve my body now, 
And bear my spirit home ; 
Why do my minutes move so slow, 
Nor my salvation come 1 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 587 

With heavenly weapons I have fought 

The battles of the Lord, 

Finished ray course, and kept the faith, 

And wait the sure reward. 

God has laid up in heaven for me 

A crown which cannot fade ; 

The righteous Judge, at that great day, 

Shall place it on my head. 

God is my everlasting aid, 

And hell shall rage in vain ; 

To him be highest glory paid, 

And endless praise. Amen '* 



i 



« 



CONVERSATION XVIII. 

THE EPISTLE TO JAMES.— Authorship of this Epistle.— Unbelief of the Lord's 
brothers and kin in his Messiahship. — James the bishop of Jerusalem. — The scattered 
Tribes. — Who they were. — A question. — Are the Ten tribes still in existence as a dis- 
tinct people. — Epistle to Jude. — Character of this letter. 

I. THE EPISTLE OF JAMES. 

Son. — Who was the author of this Epistle ? 

Father. — Some have thought that it was James, the son of 
Zebedee and brother of John ; but this cannot be true, since James, 
the brother of John, was put to death by Herod, long before this 
Epistle was written (see Acts xii. 2). Others have thought that it 
was written, not by the other Apostle James, but by still another 
James, the literal brother of our Lord, who was early made bishop 
of Jerusalem. But I cannot be of this opinion. It is said of 
Christ's literal brothers, at a late period in his public ministry, th*"^ 
they did not believe on him (John vii. 5). They may have become 
believers about the time of his ascension ; but the fact that Jesus 
did not commit his mother to them, but to John, shows that, at that 
time, they and their mother were not in full sympathy on the sub- 
ject of religion. Besides, the manner in which the James who 
dwelt at Jerusalem is spoken of in the Acts, and in the Epistles of 
Paul, shows that he must have been an Apostle. It was he who 
presided in the great church meeting at Jerusalem, and pro- 
nounced the decision on the question of circumcising the Gentile 
converts (Acts xv. 19). Then, when Paul went up to Jerusalem 
to see Peter, he says : " Other of the Apostles saw I none, save 
James^ the Lord's brother'' (Gal. i. 19). This proves that the James 
whom he saw was an Apostle. At his next visit to Jerusalem, Paul 
saw there "James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to he pillars,'" — 
proof again that James was not only an Apostle, but a distin- 
guished Apostle, as much so as Peter or John (Gal. ii. 9). I con- 
clude, therefore, that the James who resided at Jerusalem, and 



CONVERSATIOXS OX THE BIBLE. 589 

wrote the Epistle, was no other than the Aj^ostle James. He was 
not a literal brother of onr Lord, bnt a cousin, and on this account 
is sometimes called the Lord's brother. Several instances occur in 
the Scriptures of this use of the term brother among the Jews. Of 
the life of the Aj^ostle James we have spoken in a previous con- 
versation. 

S. — This James is sometimes spoken of as bishop of Jerusalem : 
Was he a bishop, as well as an Apostle ? 

F. — I think not. Not only are the two offices not the same, they 
are incompatible with each other. An Apostle is a missionary — a 
minister at large — one who has, what Paul tells us he had, '• the 
care of all the churches." A bishop has, or should have, a pastoral 
charge. He is the overseer of a particular flock. His attentions 
are confined to some particular field of labor. That James was an 
Apostle, we certainly know ; but that he was ever, in the proper 

«ise of the term, a bishop, the Scriptures nowhere intimate. This 
s the fiction of a later age. That, with the consent of his brother 
Apostles, James for the most part resided at Jerusalem, and that, — 
in connection with a corps of elders, — he had some care of the great 
mother church there established, is indubitable ; but his care also 
extended to other churches. This is evident from the interest 
which he took in the question of circumcising the Gentile converts. 
It is etident also from the inscription to the Epistle before us : 
" James,'**a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the 
tivelve tribes scattered abroad^ — implying that his watch was over 
them all. 

^S'. — Who were "the twelve tribes *' to whom this Epistle was 
addressed ? 

F. — They were Jews and Israelites, who, in the course of ages, 
had come to be mixed together, were " scattered abroad " through- 
out the Roman empire, and went under the general name of Jew§. 

»S'. — But are not the ten tribes still in existence somewhere, as a 
separate people? 

F. — I think not. Manv of the original ten tribes, who were 



t 



590 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

carried captive, apostatized to the heathen among whom they 
dwelt. Other many got back to their own land, and settled there, 
and fell under the general appellation of Jews. Much search has 
been made for the lost ten tribes ; but they have not been found, 
and never will be, a separate people, anywhere. '*''*A 

aS'. — Were all those whom James addresses in this Epistle c'on^T 
verted^ Christian Jews ? 

F. — The most of it was intended for believing Jews ; but some 
parts of it are addressed to those who did not believe. " From' 
whence come wars and fightings among you ? Come they not 
hence even of your lusts ? " This, and the following verses of the 
fourth chapter, we cannot regard as applicable to Christian Jews 
of the Apostolic age, but are specially applicable to those murder- 
ous zealots with which the holy city was at that time infested. 

S. — Has the Epistle of James been generally regarded as canon- 
ical ? "" ^j 

F. — Its canonical authority was disputed by some in the ancient 
church, but by most of the fathers it was received. It is found 
in Peschito, the oldest version extant, and was accepted by the 
churches in Syria. Having passed the ordeal of ancient criticism, 
the Epistle was universally received as early as the fourth century. 
It is well known that Luther, in the early stages of the reforma- 
tion, rejected the Epistle of James, calling it "an Epistle of straw." 
This he did, because he supposed it conflicted with his favorite 
doctrine of justification by faith. At a later period, he changed his 
opinion, and received the Epistle as canonical Scripture. 

S. — When and where was this Epistle written ? 

F. — It was written, undoubtedly, at Jerusalem, and not long 
before the Apostle's death, — about the year 62 or 63. It has been 
thought, by some, that the scorching reproofs of James excited the 
Jews to put him to death. 

S. — What seems to have been the general design and object of 
the Epistle ? 

F. — It was to refute the errors and correct the vices at that time 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 591 

prevalent among the Jews, — to some extent among the believing 
Jews. Among the errors which had made their appearance were 
those of an Antinomian character — a being saved b}' faith without 
the deeds of the law. In refuting these, James has been thought by 

tsome to contradict directly the Apostle Paul. But it vrill be seen, on 
ejsamination, that the contradiction is only apparent. Paul insists 
that sinners " are justified by faith, without the deeds of the law ; " 

.' while James asserts that they ^' are justified by works, and not by 
faith only " (Rom. ii. 28, James ii. 24). Paul is reasoning here 
against the Judaizing teachers, who substituted works, moral and 
ceremonial, in place of the blood of Christ, as a ground of justifica- 
tion. But James was reasoning against Antinomians, who insisted 
that, where there was faith, good works were unnecessary. This 
led him to say that such a faith was dead and worthless, and could 
not be accepted as the condition of salvation. Against a faith 

^^uch as this, Paul would have insisted as strenuously as James; 
while against works, in the sense that Paul abjured them, James 
would have insisted as strenuousl}^ as Paul. It is only necessary 
to understand the two Apostles, — -to consider the circumstances un- 
der which they wrote, and the different errors at which they aimed, 
in order to see that there is no real discrepancy between them. 
aS'. — What is there peculiar in the st^de of this Epistle ? 
'P. — In some places, it is pointed, vehement ; in others it is mild 
and gentle. In rebuking the vices of the Jewish people, — more 
especiaUy, as I hope, the unbelieving Jews, — the Apostle uses 
words that burn. ' " Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for 
your miseries that shall come upon you. Your riches are cor- 
rupted, and 3'our garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver 
is cankered, and the rust of them shall be a witness against jow^ 
and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Behold the hire of your 
laborers which have reaped your fields, which is of you kept back^ 
crieth, and the cry hath entered into the ears of the Lord of Sab- 
aoth. Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth and been wanton ; 
ye have nourished your hearts as in a da}- of slaugliter. Ye have 



592 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

condemned and killed the just, and lie doth not resist you" 
(Chap. V. 1-6). 

In conclusion, the writer exhorts his humble, faithful Christian 
brethren to wait patiently upon God : "Be patient therefore, 
brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold the husbandman 
waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience 
for it, until he receive the early and the latter rain. Be ye also 
patient, establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord draweth 
nigh" (Chap. V. 7, 8). 

II. THE EPISTLE OF JUDE. 

F. — In the first verse of this short Epistle, the writer tells us 
who he is, and to whom he is writing : " Jude, the servant of Jesus 
Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God 
the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called." This must 
be Jude the Apostle ; and, as he and James were brothers, I have 
concluded to connect their Epistles in the same conversation. 

S. — Is it likely that Jude wrote this Epistle ? 

F. — I think it is. Its authenticity was called in question for a 
time, until the churches could become satisfied that Jude was its 
real author. Since that period, it has been universal^ received. 

S. — Does it not contain some questionable quotations? 

F. — Perhaps so. In exposing and denouncing seductive teach- 
ers, Jude quotes from an unknown Jewish prophet — the same that 
Peter quotes from in his second Epistle. He also quotes from 
Enoch, the seventh from Adam, who was tijanslated that he should 
not see death. How he came by this last quotation, we are not 
informed. It may have been a tradition among the Jews. Or it 
may have been taken from the apocryphal book of Enoch. In 
either case, its being adopted by an inspired Apostle is a sufficient 
sanction for its truth. Let us be thankful that we have so noble a 
fragment from the venerable antediluvian patriarch. 

S. — Do we know when and where the Epistle of Jude was 
written ? 



CONVERSATIOXS OX THE BIBLE. 593 



E. As to the place where it originated we know nothing. It 

bears marks of having been written late in the Apostolic age— later, 
I apprehend, than the second Epistle of Peter, which it so much 
resembles. 

,S'. — Was it written to any particular church or people ? 

E. It was not. It is called the '• Creneral Epistle of Jude ; " 

and it is so. It was intended for all Christians — all those '' who 
are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, 
and called." 

^;_And what may be regarded as the design or occasion of if? 
^tf^ i^.— This is obvious from the Epistle itself. Like some other of 
the Epistles, it was intended as a warning against false teachers. 
The writer commences by saying, '^ When I gave all diligence to 
write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to 
write unto you. and exhort you. that ye should earnestly contend 
for the faith which was once delivered to the saints. For there are 
certain men crept in unawares, who were before, of old, ordained 
to this condemnation— ungodly men, turning the grace of God into 
lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jeslis 
Christ." Jude warns his brethren of the destruction which would 
follow an apostasy, by telling them of the fate of the unbelieving 
Israelites who came out of Egypt, but fell in the wilderness ; of the 
ruin of the Apostate angels ; and of the destruction of the Sod- 
omites. He cites the fate of the Sodomites as one of exemjolary 
punishment. They are " set forth as excmij^Ies, suffering the ven- 
geance of eternal fire." In short, this Epistle, though a brief one, 
is full of solemn warning and instruction ; and Ave are thankful that 
we have so acceptable an offering from tliis modest and amiable 
Apostle. 



CONVERSATION XIX. 

THE FIRST EPISTLE OF PETER.— The strangers mentioned in this letter.— Who 
they were — The Jewish .school at Babylon. — Its distinguished character. — The Babylon 
as it was at that time. — Second Epistle of Peter. — Its design. — Important doctrine 

disclosed. 

I. THE FIRST EPISTLE OF PETER. 

Son. — Of the life and history of the Apostle Peter we have heard 
in a previous conversation. Is the Epistle before us unquestion- 
ably his. Have there been no doubts as to its authenticity ? 

Father. — None of any importance. The second Epistle of Peter 
was doubted of by some in the early age of the church; but the 
first never. 

S. — To whom was it written ? 

F. — It is addressed '' to the strangers scattered abroad, through- 
out Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bythinia. The word 
strangers here denotes that the persons addressed were Jews — dis- 
persed, converted Jews. This is one of the terms by which the 
scattered Jews were commonly indicated. They were not native 
inhabitants of the countries where they resided ; but were foreign- 
ers, residents, strangers, Peter was emphatically the Apostle of the 
circumcision. It was his assignment to labor chiefly for the Jews^ 
as it was Paul's to go to the Gentiles. Accordingly, through all 
the latter part of his public ministry, we find Peter laboring for the 
Jews. It was natural, therefore, that he should address his Epistle 
to the dispersed Christian Jews. 

aS'. — Have we indications in the Epistle itself that it was addressed 
primarily to Jews ? 

F. — We certainly have. I will cite but one example : " Having 
your conversation honest among the Gentiles ; that, whereas they 
speak against you as evil doers, they may, by your good works 
which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation '^ 
(Chap. ii. 12). Obviously, the persons here addressed were not 
Gentiles, but Jews. 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE, 595 

S. — Can we decide positively when this Epistle was written ? 

F. — We cannot. We know it must have been written late in the 

Apostolic age — perhaps as late as the year 61. The gospel could 

not have been sufficiently established in the provinces mentioned in 

jf^e introduction to require such an Epistle at a much earlier period. 

" S. — Where was Peter when he wrote this Epistle ? 

F. — He says near the close of it : " The church that is at Babylon^ 
elected together with you, saluteth you" (Chap. v. 13). The 
writer must have been at this time at Babylon, — not Babylon in 
Egypt, nor at Rome (which is sometimes mystically called Babylon)^ 
but at Babylon in Assyria. The old Babylon, w^hich Nebuchad- 
nezzar built, had indeed been destroyed ; but a new Babylon had 
been bui]t, about forty miles north of the old city, where, I have no 
doubt, the Epistle was written. The Jews had been numerous, in 
all this section of country, from the time of the captivity until long 
after the coming of Christ. This new Babylon was the seat of a 
'^ distingaished school of Jewish learning, from which the largest 
and most elaborate of the Talmuds was issued. This great body of 
his own nation the Apostle of the circumcision thought it incum- 
bent on him to visit. He had established a church here ; and from 
this pl^ce he sent his Epistle, by Sylvanus, one of Paul's evangelists^ 
to " the strangers scattered abroad." 

aSI— rWhat may we suppose was the principal design and object of 
the Epistle ? 

F. — The design obviously was, to encourage and strengthen his- 
brethren to persevere in their Christian course, and by an eminently 
holy, circumspect behavior, to silence their opposers and persecu- 
tors, and win them over to the obedience of faith. The enemies of 
the Christians, in those times, were accustomed to reproach and 
vilify them, and accuse them of the foulest crimes ; and the Apostle 
exhorts them, "by well-doing, to put to silence the ignorance of 
foolish men." He exhorts them also to the faithful performance of 
all relative and social duties — those of husbands and wives, parents 
and children, masters and servants. He urges the faithful discharge 



596 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

of these duties, not from mere worldly considerations, but from the 
love of Christ, and their obligations to him, and from the certainty 
that they must, ere long, stand before him in the judgment, and 
give an account of all their deeds. 

S, — Are there any new disclosures of truth in this Epistle ? 

F. — We find truths here which are not so clearly revealed else- 
where in the Bible ; as, for example, that it was the Spirit of Christy 
which spake by the ancient prophets, and by Noah (Chap. iii. 19) ; 
that the ungodly men to whom Noah preached were not annihila- 
ted, but are " spirits in prison," reserved unto the final judgment ; 
that the waters of the flood, which bore up Noah and his family, 
were a type of the water of baptism ; that " the devil goeth about 
like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour" (Chap. v. 8). 

S. — What is the spirit manifested in this Epistle ? 

F. — It is eminently Christian, — very different from that some- 
times manifested by Peter during the personal ministry of Christ. 
We see nothing here of that forward, positive, dogmatical spirit, so 
often exhibited during the life of Christ ; but the whole man 
appears softened, tender, gentle, subdued, — full proof that he had 
grown in knowledge, as well as in grace ; that he had learned les- 
sons in the school of experience, which he failed to learn from the 
lips even of the Son of God. The Epistle before us is one of great 
beauty and excellence, not only in its design, but its execution. 
Ostervald says "it is one of the finest books in the New Testa- 
ment ; " and Erasmus, a Roman Catholic, says, " It is worthy of the 
Prince of the Apostles, and full of apostolical dignity and author- 

ity." 

II. THE SECOND EPISTLE OF PETER. 

aS'. — You have said that the authenticity of this Epistle was called 
in question by some in the ancient church. Were the doubts then 
entertained well founded ? 

F. — These doubts prove nothing, unless it be the extreme cau- 
tion with which the early fathers accepted any writing, as coming 
from the Apostles. As soon as they became satisfied that Peter 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 597 

wrote this Epistle (and that was at a very early period) it was 
thankfully received as a part of the book of God. 

The Epistle affirms, in the most positive manner, that Peter wrote 
it. '' Simon Peter, a servant and an Apostle of Jesus Christ, to 
^hem which have obtained like precious faith with us," etc. Is this 
^declaration true ? Or is this holy Epistle the production of a down- 
right forger and liar ? Besides, this Epistle contains passages which 
could have been written by no one except Peter. '• This second 
Epistle, beloved, I now write unto you, in both which I stir up your 
pure minds by way of remembrance " (Chap. iii. 1). "I think it 
meet, so long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting 
you in remembrance ; knoAving that shortly I must put off this my 
tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath showed me. For 
we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made 
known unto you the power and the coming of our Lord Jesus 
Christ, but were eye-witnesses of his majesty. For he received 
from God the Father honor and glory, when there came such a 
voice to him from the most excellent glory : This is my beloved 
Son, in whom I am well pleased. And this voice Avhich came from 
heaven we Jieard^ when we were with him in the holy mount" 
(Chap. i. 13-18). Who that had not seen and walked and con- 
versed with Christ, and witnessed his transfiguration, could have 
given utterance to language such as this ? 

S^ — What was the principal objection to the authenticity of this 

^ Epistle? 

% F. — A supposed difference of style. But this can apply to only 
a portion of the second chapter, in which, — describing certain false 
teachers and denouncing their doom, — the Apostle seems to quote 
the language of some Jewish prophet," to us unknown : "Spots they 
are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings 
while they feast with you ; having eyes full of adultery that cannot 
cease from sin, beguiling unstable souls" (Chap. iii. 13, 14). The 
Apostle Jude refers, as we have seen, to the same unknown writer, 
though in somewhat different terms. 

37 



598 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE, 

S. — Do such quotations by an inspired writer become thereby 
authoritative inspiration ? 

F. — I think so. The Holy Spirit \yould not lead an Apostle to 
make such a quotation, if he did not mean to sanction it as the 
word of God. 

S. — Do we know when this Epistle was ^TOtten ? 

F. — Not certainly. It must have been written after the Epistles 
of Paul, for the writer refers to them (Chap. iii. 15, 16). It was 
written, too, near the close of the Apostle's life, when he was 
expecting, in a short time, to be removed : " Knowing that shortly 
I must put off this my tabernacle, even as the Lord hath showed 
me." 

S. — Where was the Apostle when he wrote this Epistle ? 

F. — We do not know. He may have been at Rome, awaiting 
his martyrdom. 

S. — To whom is the Epistle addressed ? ^ 

F. — To the same class of persons as his former Epistle : " This 
second Epistle, beloved, I now write unto you " — to dispersed Jew- 
ish converts in the Roman empire, and everywhere else — " those 
who have obtained like precious faith with us." 

S, — Why did the Apostle write a second Epistle to them ? 
What was the more immediate design of it ? 

F. — He foresaw that false teachers were about to pour in upon 
them, and draw them away from the faith of the gospel, and he 
wrote a message of warning, to strengthen and establish them. 
" There will be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring 
in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that brought them " 
(Chap. ii. 1). To denounce these troublesome, pernicious teach- 
ers, and secure his brethren against their influence, was the main 
design, undoubtedly, of this Epistle. 

aS'. — Does it contain any new developments of doctrine ? 

F. — Like the first Epistle, it discloses some important doctrines 
more fully than we find them in other parts of the Bible. We are 
here informed expressly of the fall of the rebel angels ; of the final 



1 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 599 

conflagration ; and of the new heavens and the new earth. " The 
day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in the which the 
heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall 
melt with fervent heat; the earth, also, and the works that are 
therein, shall be burned up. Nevertheless, we look for new 
heavens and a new earth in which dwelleth righteousness" 
(Chap iii. 10-13). 

On the whole, we should be devoutly thankful for this second 
Epistle of the great Apostle. It contains his last words of which 
we have any knowledge ; and certainly they are words fitly spoken 
— warnings, predictions brought faithfully before us, to which we 
should give diligent heed. " Seeing we look for such things, what 
manner of persons ought we to be, in all holy conversation and 
godliness I " 



,f 






I 






CONYEKSATION XX. 

THE FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN.— Design of this Epistle.— The literal body of 
Christ denied. — John's description of Anti-Christ. — The doctrine of the atonement. — 
The unpardonable sin. — The second and third Epistles of St. John. 

I. THE FIEST EPISTLE OF JOHN. 

Son. — As the Apostle John does not attach his name to this 
Epistle, how do we know that he wrote it ? 

Father, — It is universally ascribed to him by the ancient fathers. 
Its authenticity was never disputed. The Apostle John scarcely 
needs to affix his name to any of his writings ; they are known by 
their style. 

S. — Is there any marked peculiarity about the style of John ? 

F. — There certainly is. " His sentences," says Doddridge, " con- 
sidered separately, are clear and intelligible ; but when we look 
for their connection, we frequently meet with greater difficulties 
than we do in the Epistles of Paul. The principal characteristic 
of his manner is an artless simplicity, and a singular modesty and 
candor, joined with a wonderful sublimity of sentiment. His con- 
ceptions are not the result of reasoning and investigation, but 
rather of insight. They are delivered to us as they arose in his 
own mind." In short, John was the mystic in the college of the 
Apostles, as Paul was the scholastic. 

S. — What appears to have been the design of this first Epistle ? . 

F. — It was to expose and denounce Gnosticism, particularly in 
its bearing upon the person of Christ ; and to inculcate and enforce 
that spirit of love of which he was himself so eminent an example. 

aS'. — What was the leading principle of the Gnostic philosophy, 
which was threatening the churches, before the death of the Apos- 
tle John? 

F. — It was this, — that matter is inherently and essentially cor- 
rupting, — the source of all evil, and of all vice. This led those 
under the influence of it to a " neglecting of the body," to a de- 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 601 

nial of the resurrection of the body, and (what was particularly 
annoying to the Apostle John) to a denial of the literal body of 
the Savior. "He never had a material body. To suppose this 
would be corrupting and degrading to him. He seemed to those 
about him to have a body, but he had none. It was all an illusion. 
He was a mere specter, without an}^ body of flesh and blood." 
Such was the teaching of the Gnostics, — or of that portion of 
them with whom John came in contact, — in regard to the person 
of Christ ; and I hardly need say that John, without naming it, 
strenuously opposed it. For he saAv in it a subversion of the 
gospel. It was this which led him to say, in the first verse of this 
Epistle, that he had not only seen, but handled the word of life." 
A specter may be seen, but not handled. It was this which led 
him to affirm so strenuously that Jesus Christ had come in the 
fleshy and to denounce as antichrist him Avho denied it." Beloved, 
believe not every spirit, but try the spirits, whether they are of 
God ; because many false prophets are gone out into the world. 
Hereby know ye the Spirit of God : Every spirit that confesseth 
that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, is of God ; and every 
spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh 
is not of God. And this is that spirit of antichrist whereof ye 
have heard that it should come, and even already is it in the 
world" (Chap. iv. 1-3). 

S. — Can Ave tell when and Avhere this Epistle Avas Avritten ? 

F. — Not certainly. I think that all John's Epistles Avere AATitten 
at or near Ephesus, to AAdiich place he removed after the destruction 
of Jerusalem. The indications also are that they Avere AA^itten near 
the close of the first centur}', — perhaps as late as the years 91 or 
92. The Gnostic errors had not prevailed in this region, at least in 
a degree to become formidable, at a much earlier period. 

S. — Was this Epistle addressed to any particular church, or 
churches ? Or AA^as it intended for Christians general^ ? 

F. — It was intended primarily, no doubt, for the churches of 
lesser Asia, of which the Apostle seems to have had special charge ; 



602 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBZE. 

but ultimately for all the children of God, — as it is eminently ap- 
propriate and profitable to them all. In this respect it may well be 
called a catholic Epistle, i. e., a writing designed for all men. 

S. — Does John bring out prominently, in this Epistle, the great 
and leading doctrines of the gospel ? 

F. — Some of them he brings forward very prominently ; as the 
true doctrine of Christ's person, together with that of his atonement 
and intercession. " If any man sin, we have an advocate with the 
Father, Jesus Christ the righteous ; and he is the propitiation for 
our sins ; and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole 
world" (Chap. ii. 1, 2). We have here also the doctrine of the un- 
pardonable sin. '' There is a sin unto death ; I do not say that ye 
shall pray for it" (Chap. v. 16). In short, the whole Epistle is 
remarkable for the purity and excellence of its teaching, for the 
kindness of its spirit, and for the beautiful example which it fur- 
nishes of a ripe and established Christian, befitting most worthily 
" the disciple whom Jesus loved." 

•i 
II. THE SECOND AND THIRD EPISTLE OF JOHN. ». 

S. — Is it certain that these Epistles were written by John ? 

F. — For a time, their authenticity was called in question in the 
early church; and the reason is obvious. The fathers would re- 
ceive nothing into their canon which they were not sure had been 
written by an Apostle, or written under his direction. And as these 
Epistles were short, were written to private persons, and circulated, 
perhaps, rather privately, it was a considerable time before the 
whole church could see them, and be satisfied as to their authenticity ; 
as fast as the churches became satisfied that they were really written 
by the Apostle John, they were admitted to a place in the sacred 
canon. Dr. Lardner informs us that they were quoted by Irenseus, 
and referred to by Clement of Alexandria, both of them living in 
the second century. At a later period, they were received by 
Athanasius, by Cyril of Jerusalem, by the Council of Laodicea, by 
Epiphanius, by Jerome, and Augustine. In fact, they have all 



t 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 603 

John's peculiarities about them, and are evidently from the same 
hand which wrote the first Epistle. 

S. — On what occasion were these short Epistles written ^ 
F. — The first was sent to " the elect lady " — some distinguished 
Christian female in the East — to warn her and her children against 
the influence of false and seducing teachers — the same as those re- 
ferred to in the first Epistle. " Many deceivers," says John, " are 
entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ has come 
in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an Anti-Christ." 

The second Epistle is addressed " to the well-beloved Gains, 
whom I love in the truth." This I take to be the same Gains 
whom Paul mentions in his Epistle to the Romans, — not merely 
because he has the same name, but because he is like him in charac- 
ter and liberality. Gains was the host who entertained Paul during 
his long residence at Corinth (see Rom. xvi. 23), and the Gains 
to whom John writes is engaged in the same benevolent work. 
"Beloved, thou doest faithfully whatsoever thou doest to the breth- 
ren, and to strangers, who have borne witness of thy charity before 
the church ; whom, if thou bring forward on their journey after a 
godly sort, thou shalt do well" (v. 5, 6). The Apostle censures 
Diotrephes, " who loves to have the pre-eminence," but commends 
Demetrius, " who hath a good report of all men, and of the truth 
itself." These short Epistles give us a pleasing idea of the kind of 
intercourse which prevailed among the early Christians, and of the 
faithful, parental inspection which was exercised over them by the 
venerable Apostle. 



CONVERSATION XXI. 

THE REVELATION.— Doubts as to the authorship.— Reasons for those doubts.— When 
written. — Banishment of John. — State of the seven churches at this time. — The scheme 
of the Jesuits. — Different interpretations. 

THE REVELATION. 

Son. — This book is repeatedly ascribed to John : Are you sure 
that this was the Apostle John ? 

Father. — Such is the testimony of nearly all the fathers from 
Justin Martyr down to the fourth century. 

aS'. — When and why was the authenticity of the book called in, 
question ? What led Caius of Rome, and Nepos of Alexandria, and 
others, to entertain doubts respecting it? gi| 

F. — These doubts were entertained, not at all on historical 
grounds, but for reasons purely doctrinal. The historical proof of 
the apostolical and canonical authority of the Apocah^pse was 
ample ; but the millenarians had laid hold of a passage in the 
twentieth chapter — that which speaks of the binding of Satan for a 
thousand years — and urged it in proof of their j)eculiar sentiments. 
And the fathers above mentioned thought that, perhaps, the best 
way to be rid of the troublesome passage was to discard the book 
which contained it. After the revolution under Constantine, the 
millenarianism of the primitive times fell into disrepute. And 
from that period the authority of the Apocalypse was fully restored, 
and, with few exceptions, has been maintained ever since. 

aS'. — What has led so many of the German critics of the present 
day to doubt the authenticity of the Apocalypse ? 

F. — It is the style of the book — its peculiar words and phrases — 
an argument by which these men have shown themselves capable 
of proving or disproving almost anything. And yet the style of the 
Apocalypse is not more different from the other writings of John, 
than is the subject, the method, the object of the composition. 
How is it possible, in Avriting such a book as that before us, made 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 605 

up, in great part, of visions, t3^pes, and symbolic representations, — 
that the style should not differ from that of a plain historic narra- 
tive, or a familiar loving Epistle. Any competent critic Avould 
decide beforehand, that there must be peculiar expressions, and a 
wide diversity of style. 

aS'. — But if the Apostle John wrote the Apocalypse, when did he 
write it ? What is the proper date of the book ? 

F. — On this question, modern interpreters are divided. That 
the book was written in a time of persecution, while John was ban- 
ished to the isle of Patmos, or soon after his return, is on all sides 
admitted. But when was John banished to the isle of Patmos ? 
What persecution w^as raging when the Apocalypse was written ? 
Was it the persecution under Nero, about the year 66 ; or was it 
the persecution under Domitian, some thirty years later? 

S. — Does not this question of time materially affect the inter- 
pretation of the book ? 

F.—lt certainly does. Those who adopt the earlier date, — among 
whom are most of the German and some American critics, — believe 
that much of the prophetical part of the revelation was fulfilled in 
the destruction of Jerusalem, and the life and death of Nero ; while 
those who fix upon the later date give to the prophetical part of 
the book a much wider range of signification. For myself, I have 
no doubt that John was banished to Patmos by Domitian, and that 
he wrote the Apocalypse, either on the island, or shortly after his 
'^return, near the close of the first century. 

S. — What proof have you of this position ? 

F. — In the first place, we have the testimony of nearly all the 
Christian fathers. I refer, first of all, to Irenseus, who was a dis- 
ciple of Polycarp, who was a disciple of John. He must have been 
familiarly acquainted with tlie circumstances of John's banishment, 
with the time of it, and by whom it had been decreed. He could 
not have been mistaken on these points, nor is there any mistake or 
ambiguity in his testimony. " The Apocalypse," he tells us, " was 
seen, not long ago, but almost in our own generation, near the end 



606 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

of the reign of Domitian."* This testimony has never been set 
aside, and cannot be. It is enough of itself, considering the cir- 
cumstances, to decide the question before us. 

But this testimony does not stand alone. It is concurred in by 
nearly all the more distinguished fathers. Victorinus says repeat- 
edly that John was banished by Domitian, and in his time saw the 
Kevelation. Hippolytus speaks of John as having been exiled 
to Patmos under Domitian, where he saw the Apocalypse. Euse- 
bius, speaking of the persecution, says, " In this persecution, John 
the Apostle, being still alive, was banished into the isle of Pat- 
mos."! Jerome, in his book of illustrious men, says : " Domitian, 
in the fourteenth year of his reign, raised the next persecution after 
Nero, when John w^as banished to the isle of Patmos, where he 
wrote the Revelation." In another work, he says: "John was a 
prophet ; he saw the Revelation in the isle of Patmos, where he was 
banished by Domitian. "J Sulpicius Severus says, that John the 
Apostle was banished by Domitian to the isle of Patmos, where he 
had visions, and where he wrote the Revelation." 

S, — Is this mass of external testimony supported by internal evi- 
dence ? 

F. — It is. A great variety of evidence drawn from the book 
itself goes to assure us that it could not have been written until 
near the close of the first century. It was not till this time, that 
the first day of the week began to be called " the Lord's day " — as 
it is in the first chapter of the Revelation. It was not till near the 
close of the first century, that there was a presiding elder or 
" angel," in each of the churches. Previous to this, the elders of 
the churches are always classed together on terms of equality. It 
is obvious that the seven churches of Asia were in a very different 
condition, when the Apocalypse was Avritten, from what they were 
in the time of Nero and of Paul. The church at Ephesus had 



*Contra Hseses, v. 20. 
tEcc. Hist. Lib. iii. Cap 18. 
i Works, Vol. vi pp. 120, 446. 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 607 

"lost its first love." The church at Smyrna had those in its com- 
munion, who belonged to " the synagogue of Satan." The church 
at Pergamos harbored not only the Nicolaitanes, but those who 
"held the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to cast a 
stumbling block before the children of Israel." The church at 
Thyatira suffered " the woman Jezebel to teach, to seduce its mem- 
bers to commit fornication, and to eat things offered to idols." 
The church at Sardis had only a few names left which had not 
defiled their garments ; while the members of the church at Laodi- 
cea had become so lukewarm, and offensive to Christ, that he was 
ready to " spew them out of his mouth." In short, these churches 
had all of them declined — sadly declined from what they were when 
Paul wrote his Epistles to some of them ; and time must he allowed 
— a considerable time, in which to account for such a declension. If 
we suppose the Apocalypse to have been written during the perse- 
cution under Nero, the requisite time is not furnished. But if the 
book was written thirty years later, in the persecution under Domi- 
tian, the declension can be accounted for, at least on the score of time. 

S. — Who originated the idea, in modern times, that most of the 
predictions in the Apocalypse were fulfilled in the destruction of 
Jerusalem, and the tyranny and death of Nero ? 

F. — This scheme of interpretation was first invented by the 
Jesuits, with a view to rescue Popery from the blasting visions 
and denunciations of the Apocalypse. It was earnestly adopted 
by the Rationalists of Germany. It has found favor with a class 
of interpreters in England and in this country, — among whom I 
am sorry to include the late Professor Stuart of Andover, and Pro- 
fessor Cowles of Oberlin. 

S. — What arguments do these men urge in favor of their inter- 
pretation ? 

F. — They urge that it is said of the things predicted in the 
Apocalypse, that they would be fulfilled quichly. And so it is 
said of the resurrection, and the general judgment, and the final 
state of the righteous and the wicked, in the closing chapter of 



608 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

the Apocalypse, that they must shortly he done. And yet they are 
not done. They are still future. The language in question is not 
to be understood according to our estimation of time, but rather 
as God estimates it, — to whom " one day is as a thousand years, 
and a thousand years as one day." 

It is assumed by these interpreters, that the coming of Christy 
spoken of in Rev. i. 7, is his coming to destroy Jerusalem, because 
of the intimation that some who were actually concerned in his 
crucifixion would be present : " Every eye shall see him, and they 
also which pierced him. But in the sense in which the murderous 
Jews pierced the Savior, we all have pierced him by our sins. He 
was literally pierced by only one man, and he a Roman soldier. 
Also in the same sentence with that quoted above it is said, that 
"all the kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him." But 
were all the kindreds of the earth present, with their wailing and 
lamentations, when Jerusalem was destroyed ; or is this scene 
reserved to the final coming of Christ to judge the world ? 

It is still further urged that the Apocalypse must have been 
written as early as the time of Nero, since only seven churches are 
mentioned in it, which probably was the whole nimiber existing at 
that time in Asia Minor. But it would be easy to show that there 
were many churches in Asia Minor, before the death of Peter and 
Paul. In addition to those addressed in the Apocalypse, there were 
churches, certainly, in Iconium, in Lystra, in Derbe, in the Pisidiam 
Antioch, in Hierapolis, in Pontus, in Cappadocia, in Bythinia, in 
Cilicia, in Galatia, in Colosse, and probably in many other places. 

In short, we find nothing, in the Apocalypse, or out of it, which 
should lead us to think that it was written during the persecution 
under Nero, and that the most of it relates to his death, to the 
destruction of Jerusalem, or to the fall of Pagan Rome. Hence 
we adopt the other supposition, that it was written during the 
persecution under Domitian, near the close of the first century, 
and that it takes a much wider range of signification than that 
referred to above. 



CONVERSATION XXII. 

THE REVELATION Continued.— Location of Patmos.— Use of it by the Romans.— 
Vision of John. — Explanation of the symbols of the first two chapters. — The number 
seven. — Cherubim. — What it is. — The sea of glass. — The new song. — Universal salva- 
tion. — Is it universal'^ 

Son. — Where is Patmos, the place of John's banishment ? 

Father. — It is a desolate island in the ^gean sea, lying between 
Icaria and the promontory of Miletus. It is some six or eight 
miles in length, but its average breadth is scarcely more than one 
mile. It has no trees or rivers, and very little land that is capable 
of cultivation. Owing to its isolated and desolate condition, it 
was frequently used by the Romans as a place of banishment for 
criminals. 

S. — In this lonely and desolate island, was the Apostle entirely 
deserted ? 

F. — By no means. In the absence of earthly friends and com- 
forts, he seems to have enjoyed the most precious communion 
with Christ, and the most glorious manifestations or visions of his 
presence. We have a glowing account of one of these visions — 
perhaps the first of them — in the first chapter of the Revelation. It 
occurred, like the Pentecost, on the first day of the week — " the 
Lord's day ; " thus setting a new honor upon the Sabbath of the 
Christian dispensation. " I was in the, spirit, on the Lord's day, 
and I heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, saying, I am 
Alpha and Omega, the first and the last ; and what thou seest 
write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in 
Asia. And I turned to see the voice which spake with me. And 
being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks ; and in the midst of 
the seven candlesticks, one like unto the Son of Man, clothed with 
a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden 
girdle. His head and his Lair were white like wool, as white as 
snow ; and his eyes were as a flame of fire ; and his feet like unto 
fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace ; and his voice as the 



610 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

sound of many waters. And he had in his right hand seven stars, 
and out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and his 
countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength." Such was 
the appearance of the glorified Son of God, manifesting himself to 
his suffering disciple on this memorable occasion. 

S. — What noAV occurred between John and his Divine Master ? 

F. — After the first surprise of his appearance had passed away, 
Christ proceeds to give to John his commission to wTite the book 
of Revelation — the very book now open before us. And in the 
commission itself a threefold division of the book is indicated. 
" Write," says he, " the things which thou hast seen^ and the things 
which are, and the things ivhich shall he hereafter'' According to 
the division here indicated, the first part of the book is comprised 
in the first chapter : For here is the record which John made of 
the resplendent and glorious vision which he had witnessed. The 
second part of the book — "the things which are " — is comprised in 
the second and third chapters. Here we have the messages of in- 
struction and warning which were to be sent to the seven churches in 
Asia. This part of the book is not prophetical at all. It refers sim- 
ply to things which are. The third part of the book — the ijro'phet- 
ical part — commences properly with the sixth chapter. The fourth 
and fifth chapters, in which is presented a bright vision of heaven, 
may be regarded as introductory to the third or prophetical part. 

S. — Please explain to us some of the symbols in these two intro- 
ductory chapters — these visions of heaven. 

F. — In the commencement of the fourth chapter, John tells us 
that he " looked, and behold a door was opened in heaven ; and 
the first voice which I heard was, as it were, of a trumpet talking 
with me, which said unto me, come up hither, and I will show 
thee things which shall be hereafter. And immediately I was in 
the Spirit ; and behold a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on 
the throne. And his appearance was like to that of a jasper, or as 
a sardine stone ; and there was a rainbow round about the throne 
in sight like unto an emerald." 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 611 

The personage which John saw sitting on the throne was, un- 
doubtedly, the Eternal Father — the grand executive head of the 
Divine administration, whose office-work it is to guard the honors 
of the eternal throne. The rainbow round about the throne was 
a bow of promise, indicating that the throne of the Eternal is one, 
not only of judgment, but of grace. John "saw seven lamps of 
fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of 
God." This I understand to be a symbolic representation of the 
Holy Spirit. The Hebrews regarded seven as a perfect number. 
Hence the seven lamps, or seven spirits, denote God's perfect Holy 
Spirit. 

John also " saw round about the throne four and twenty seats^ 
and upon the seats four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white 
raiment, and having on their heads crowns of gold. He saw, also^ 
four living creatures — improperly translated beasts — full of eyes- 
before and behind." 

S. — What is represented by these four and twenty elders, and the 
TOur living creatures ? 

F. — It is generally understood, — and I think correctly, — that the 
four and twenty elders represent the redeemed church in heaven. 
The living creatures ma}^ properly be called cherubim ; as they are 
very like to the cherubim and seraphim which Isaiah and Ezekiel 
saw, in the commencement of their prophetic visions (Is. vi. 2. 
Ezek. i. 5). 

S. — And what are cherubim ? 

F. — They are, I have no doubt, personal beings. Personal offices 
and acts are ascribed to them. They unite with otlier personal 
beings in singing songs of praise to God and the Lamb. And not 
only are they personal beings, but heavenly beings. Their home is 
in heaven. Their work and worship are near the eternal throne. 

S. — Are they then a distinct class of heavenly beings ? Or are 
they a distinct order of existing classes — holy angels and redeemed 
souls ? 

F. — I incline to the latter opinion. We know of but two dis- 



612 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

tinct classes of heavenly beings — angels and glorified men. Yet 
among these, we read of different orders ; some higher, and some 
lower j some near the throne, and others at greater distance from it. 
There are '' principalities and powers in heavenly places." There 
are angels and archangels, cherubim and seraphim. And of those 
who have gone from earth to heaven, some are farther advanced than 
others ; since every one is to be rewarded according to his works. 
The cherubim, I think, are among the highest orders of celestial 
beings, who stand nearest the Eternal, and are specially the ser- 
vants of his throne. So they are represented in the Scriptures. In 
the Jewish tabernacle and temple, where were figures of cherubim, 
their place Avas near by the glorious Shekinah — the visible mani- 
festation of the Divine presence. And when Isaiah saw the Lord 
sitting upon his throne, high and lifted up, above it stood the sera- 
phim, crying one to another, " holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God of 
hosts." The cherubim which Ezekiel saw were in a still more obvi- 
ous attitude of service. They are represented as bearing up the 
throne of God, and as constituting the chariot of his glory. The 
Psalmist represents the Almighty as riding upon a cherub — 

" On cherub and on cherubim 
Full royally he rode." 

In the Revelation, too, the living creatures, the cherubim, are 
represented as having their places in the midst of the throne and 
round about it. 

S. — That this place of honor is occupied, and has been from the 
beginning, by a superior order of angels is indubitable. But is it 
occupied by the angels only ? Or do a portion of the ransomed ones 
share with them in this service and honor ? 

F. — But for a single passage, — and that one in the chapters we 
are considering, we might feel constrained to answer this question 
in the negative. But in the vision before us, " the living crea- 
tures," the cherubim, are represented as uniting with the four and 
twenty elders in singing the new song of redeeming mercy (Chap, 
ix. 10, 11). "And when the Lamb had taken the book out of the 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 613 

hands of him who sat upon the throne, the four living creatures 
and the four and twenty elders, fell down before the Lamb, and 
they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, 
and to open the seals thereof, for thou wast slain, and hast re- 
deemed us to God by thy blood, out of ei^ery kindred, and tongue, 
and people, and nation" (Chap. v. 9). There is no evading the 
force of this passage. The living creatures, the cherubim, do here 
unite Avith the other representatives of the ransomed church, in 
singing the song of redeeming mercy — a song which none can ever 
learn but those who have been redeemed from among men. 

S. — What is indicated by the faces and forms of the cherubim ? 

F. — Probably their characters, their properties, their powers. 
The first was like a lion, to indicate their courage and strength. 
The second was like a calf or young ox, to indicate their patience 
of labor. The third had the face of a man, to indicate their intel- 
ligence. The fourth was like a flying eagle, to indicate the rapidity 
of their motions in accomplishing the service of God. They were 
also furnished with wings, and had e3"es before and behind, still 
further to indicate the properties Ave have ascribed to them. 

aS'.— What further did John see in heaven ? 

F. — He saAV '* in the right hand of him that sat upon the throne 
^^*-.- a book, written within, and on the back side sealed with -^^ven 
seals." i^nd he saw "a strong angel proclaiming with a loud 
voice. Who is Avorthy to open the book, and to loose the seals 
thereof? And no man in l^eaven, nor in earth, neither under the 
earth, Avas able to open the book, neither to look thsreon." This 
book AA'hich John saAV AA^as not enclosed in covers, like our books. 
It AA^as a great roll of parchment, closely rolled up, and sealed on 
the back AAdth seven seals ; so that Avhen one seal Avas broken, it 
could be unrolled a certain AA^ay to disclose what Avas behind it ; 
and AA^hen another seal Avas broken, it could be unrolled farther, 
and disclose more. This AA^as the book of prophecy — the book of 
God's inscrutable purposes, into Avhich no created being in heaven, 
or on earth, or anyAAdiere else. Avas able to look. 



614 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

And John says : " I wept much, because no one was found able 
to open the book, neither to look thereon. And one of the elders 
said unto me : Weep not ; for behold the Lion of the tribe of Judah 
and the Root of David hath prevailed to open the book, and to, loose 
the seven seals thereof." Here, the Lord Jesus Christ — '' the Lion 
of the tribe of Judah, and the Root of David'" — is first brought 
upon the heavenly scene. He comes forward in appearance as a 
lamb that had been slain, and takes the book out of the hands of 
him that sat upon the throne. He breaks the stubborn seals, un- 
rols the mystic scroll, and shows the prophetic symbols tha.t were 
concealed behind it. 

S, — What great truth of the gospel is here set forth ? 

F. — Tlie proper Divinit}?- of our Lord Jesus Christ. No created 
being in heaven, or earth, or anywhere else, could break one of these 
seals, or disclose Avhat was concealed under it. Li other words, no 
created being in the universe can look out into the distant, con- 
tingent future, and tell us what shall be hereafter. But Christ 
can do this easily, infallibly, thus proving his claim to a proper 
Divinity. 

S. — What are we to understand by ihe sea of glass, like unto 
crystal, which John saw before the throne ? 

F. — Most interpreters have supposed a reference here to the 
molten sea which Solomon placed in the temple, intended for 
ablutions and purifications ; but I doubt the fact of such a reference. 
The scenery in the vision is not that of the Jewish temple, but 
rather that of heaven itself, where Wjas the throne of God and the 
Lamb, and the countless myriads of worshipers. I think that what 
seemed to the eye of the Apostle like a sea of polished crystal 
was rather the pavement round about the throne, where the wor- 
shipers presented themselves. And this accords with another vision 
in this wonderful book (Chap, xv.) : " I saw as it were a sea of 
glass mingled with fire ; and they that have gotten the victory over 
the beast, and over his image stand on the sea of glass^ having the 
harps of God." They do not bathe in the sea, or wash or purify 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 615 

themselves in it. They need no ablutions in heaven. Bnt thev 
stand upon it, as upon a polished and glittering pavement. 

^'. — Why is the song of redeeming mercy, sung by the living 
creatures and the elders, here called a new song ? 

■^•— This song may be called new, on account of its surpassing 
interest. It will always be new\ It can never grow old, or (which 
is the same) become uninteresting. It may also be called new, be- 
cause it is comparatively a new song in heaven. It has not been 
sung there always ; nor for a very long period. Heaven had been 
inhabited by holy, happy creatures long ages before the new song 
had ever been chanted there. Bright angels of different orders had 
lifted up their hearts and voices in praise to their almighty Creator; 
but they had never sung the song of redeeming mercy. They had 
no idea of such a song, and no thought that it ever could or would 
be sung anywhere. The new song was sung on earth, before it 
was heard in heaven. It was not until redeemed souls had been 
gathered from the earth, and received up to heaven, that the liviiig 
creatures and the elders commenced singing the new song before 
the throne. 

S. — Near the close of tile new song, the ransomed ones are 
represented assaying: " Thou hast made us unto our God kiuo-s 
and priests, and we shall reign upon the earth" (Chap. v. 10). 
What does this imj^ly ? Are the redeemed in heaven to come back 
to earth, and literally reign upon it ? 

F, — I think not. The whole scene presented in this vision is 
symbolical. The living creatures and the elders symbolize the 
redeemed church. And their song implies, not that they are lit- 
erally to descend to the earth, and have crowns and kingdoms 
here, but that God's church is yet to reign upon the earth. It is 
to predominate over all other interests. In the words of Daniel : 
"The kingdom, and dominion, and greatness of the kingdom 
under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the saints 
of the Most High " (Dan. vii. 27). 

aS'. — In the grand chorus of the new song, " every creature which 



G16 CONVERSATIOXS OX THE BIBLE. 

is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and in the 
sea," are represented as singing, " Blessing, and honor, and glorj, 
and power, be unto him that sitteth on the throne, and unto the 
Lamb, forever and ever." This language has often been quoted 
as proving the doctrine of universal restoration. However long 
the reign of sin may be, the time will come, when every creature 
that is in heaven, or on earth, or in the sea, or anywhere else, will 
be brought to Christ, and will unite in singing praises to God and 
the Lamb forever. What will you say to this argument ? 

F. — It is a sufficient refutation of this conceit to remember, that 
the language here used is not j^rophecy. It does not belong to the 
prophetical part of the Revelation. That commences, as I have 
said, with the sixth chapter. John is not predicting, in the 
verses before us, a universal restoration, to be accomplished far 
down in the cycles of time, but he is recording what he actually 
saw and heard at the time of the vision. And what did he see 
and hear? He heard eveiy creature that was then in heaven, 
holy angels and the spirits of holy men, — some of Avhose bodies 
were still mouldering on the earth, or under the earth, or in the 
sea, — he heard them all singing with a loud voice : " Blessing and 
honor, glory and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, 
and unto the Lamb, forever and ever." This is all the Universal- 
ism that this passage teaches ; and it is, as you see. no L^niversalism 
at all. What can be inferred, as to the final destination of men, 
from the fact that, some eighteen hundred years ago, John heard 
all heaven uniting in a grand chorus of praise to Jehovah and the 
Lamb ? 



CONYERSATIOX XXIII. 

THE REVELATION Coxtixued.— Predictions —To what they refer.— God's design 
in making the Revelation. — Symbols. — What they are. — The divi.sion of the Apoealyp^^e 
— Explanation of the White Horse. — The Seven Seals. — The Seven Trumpets — Tl.e 
Mighty Angel with the rainbow about his head. — Adventism. 

Son. — We come now to the tliird, the projyhetical part of tlie 
Revehition — that rektiiig to '• things which shall be hereafter."' 
To what, in general, do these predictions refer ? 

Father. — They refer to leading events in the history of God's 
church, from the time when they were written, to the end of the 
world. Xot that they furnish a syllabus, in minute detail, of the 
civil and ecclesiastical history of the world; but leading events, 
whether prosperous or adverse, pertaining to the history of God's 
church, and of the kingdoms of the world as connected with it, 
are here symbolically set forth. 

aS'. — Are they presented in a strictly chronological order ? 

F. — I think not. Still, there is some regard paid to chronology ; 
for the prediction commences with the early conquests of the gos- 
pel, and ends with its final triumph in this world, and its glorious 
consummation in heaven. But then we are not to look for regu- 
lar chronological sequences from chapter to chapter, nor anything 
like it. The visions and revelations are mostly scenic, and great 
occurrences are represented frequently in successive. scenes, that a 
more full and complete view of tli^m may be exhibited. The 
course of the gospel through the ages, as set forth in these visions, 
is not one of quiet prevalence, but rather one of long and terrible 
conflict. Earth and hell are arrayed against it, and the contest is 
protracted and dreadful. The church is represented as struggling 
against its mortal enemies — the dragon, the beast, and the false 
prophet, and is sometimes, apparently, on the verge of destruction. 
All the way, however, it is sustained by the ministry of angels, 
and by frequent interpositions of the Son of God ; and in the end, 
the conflict comes ou1> gloriously. The mystic Babylon is with 



618 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

violence thrown down, and shall be found no more at all. " The 
great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornications," 
is brought to judgment and is condemned. The beasts, which had 
so long ravaged the church, are destroyed. The dragon, that old 
serpent, which is the devil and Satan, is caught and imprisoned, to 
come out no mere for a long period. A song goes up from all the 
host of heaven, saying, " Alleluia ! Salvation and glory and honor 
and power be unto the Lord our God ; for true and righteous are 
his judgments." 

S. — What was the design of Christ, in making these revelations ? 

F. — It was to instruct and warn the people of God. It was to 
strengthen and comfort them, during their long conflict with earth 
and hell, setting before them its glorious termination, and the 
certainty of their final security and triumph. Confined in dark 
dungeons, and tortured in every form that a hellish ingenuity 
could invent; chained to the burning pile, or torn by savage beasts, 
or thrown from the tops of rocks, or drowned in the deep ; who can 
tell how much God's suffering people have been comforted by re- 
flecting on the glowing visions of this wonderful book? It was 
here that they gathered arms for the deadly fight, and strength to 
triumph over their last enemy. 

S. — These revelations, you say, are imparted by means of sym- 
bols : What are symbols ? 

F. — They are not the same as types, or figures of speech, but 
are the setting forth of moral ideas by pictures, or natural objects. 
Thus a circle is a symbol of eternity, having neither beginning nor 
end ; an eye is a symbol of wisdom ; a lion of courage ; a lamb of 
meekness and gentleness ; and a dove of innocence. Not a few of 
the symbols employed in the Revelation are interpreted by the 
writer or speaker. Thus it is said in the first chapter : " The 
seven stars are the angels of the seven churches ; and the seven 
candlesticks are the seven churches." And in the seventeenth 
chapter : " The seven heads are the seven mountains on which the 
woman sitteth ; " and " the ten horns are ten kings " or kingdoms. 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 610 

So the bread and wine in the sacrament are symbols of the body 
and blood of Christ. And where the symbol is not explained, it is 
not usually of difficult interpretation. The nature of it will sug- 
gest its import, with at least sufficient clearness to answ^er the 
purpose of the WTiter. The design of prophecy does not require 
that there should be an explicit statement of Avhat is to take 
place, with a detail of names, dates, and circumstances ; but only 
such a statement as will show that some future event was intended, 
and will so far indicate or describe the event, that when it comes 
to pass, it may be seen that it really was the event referred to. 
It is no part of the object of the prophetic Scriptures to enable the 
interpreter to prophesy, but rather to confirm his faith, and that 
of the whole church, when the event shall actually have occurred. 
And this may be done by appropriate symbols, as well as in any 
other way. 

S. — In the prophetical part of the Apocalypse, do we find any 
obvious plan or method ? Can any such be traced and pointed 
out? 

F. — I think it can be. The prophetical portion of the Apoca- 
lypse is obviously divided into two parts. The first train of pre- 
dictions terminates at the Millennium. The seven seals, including 
the trumpets, run on to this stage ; for when the seventh angel 
sounded, there were great voices in heaven, saying, '' The kingdoms 
of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his 
Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever." In other words, on 
the sounding of the seventh trumpet, the millennium is ushered in. 
But as the latter part of this long period is but dimlj^ indicated by 
the seals and trumpets, there is a fuller exhibition of it in succes- 
sive symbols and visions, in order to make the view more com- 
plete. These commence with the rise of the Papal power, and 
extend onward to the millennium, through the 1260 3'ears. The two 
first of these superadded symbols are the treading of the holy city, 
the church, under foot by the Gentiles for forty and two months; 
and the prophesying of the two witnesses in sackcloth, for the 



620 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 



same period (Chap. xi. 2, 3). The third is that of the woman 
fleeing into the wilderness, to be nourished and protected there for 
the same period (Rev. xii). And the fourth is that of the two 
beasts which were to continue their ravages for the same time 
(Chap. xiii. 5). These all spread over the same period — a period 
covered too by the seal, and trumpets — and terminate in the great 
conflict immediately preceding the millennium. 

And, as though even these had not depicted events with sufficient 
fullness and clearness, they are supplemented by several other sym- 
bols and visions. Thus there is the vision of the great harlot, rid- 
ing on the Koman beast ; and of the seven angels pouring out their 
seven vials — the seven last plagues ; and of the terrific fall of the 
mj^stical Babylon ; and of the closing victory of the Son of God 
(Rev. xvi.-xiv). Thus ends the first train of Apocalyptic visions, 
terminating, as I said, with the millennium. 

The second train of predictions included the millennium ; the 
defection following it ; the final overthrow of all God's enemies ; 
the resurrection and general judgment ; the end of the Avicked in 
the lake of fire ; and the eternal glories of God's church in heaven. 

It will be seen that here is plan and method. The more compli- 
cated part of it is the 1260 years preceding the millennium, Avhere 
several visions are recorded, not following each other chronolog- 
ically, but spreading over the same period, for the purpose of a 
greater fullness and completeness of delineation. 

>.S'. — We will not ask you to explain all the symbols of the Apoca- 
lypse, but can you not indicate, in few words, what you think to be 
the import of some of the seals and the trumpets ? 

F. — The white horse, under the first seal, with the great Captain 
of our salvation seated upon it, going forth "conquering and to 
conquer," obviously sets forth the rapid triumphs of the gospel in 
the second and third centuries. The red, the black, and the pale 
horses, under the next three seals, indicate the various calamities — 
wars, famine, and pestilence, which successively befell the Roman 
empire, down to the time of Constantine (Rev. vi. 3-8). On the 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 621 

opening of the fifth seal, we behold clear indications of persecution 
— the last and most terrible of the Pagan persecutions — that under 
Diocletian (Rev. yI. 9-11). The great earthquake, under the sixth 
seal, denotes the mighty revolution under Constantine, which put 
down all the heathen magistrates and priests, removed the capital 
from Rome to Constantinople, and placed Christianity on the throne 
(Rev. xi. 12-17). On the opening of the seventh seal, the seven 
angels appear with their trumpets, — showing that the trumpets are 
all included under the seventh seal (Rev. xiii. 2). We shall not 
have done with the seals, therefore, until the seventh trumpet is 
sounded ; and that will be sounded to usher in the millennium 
(Rev. xi. 15). 

The four first trumpets, I think, indicate the successive enemies 
which w^asted the western Roman empire after Constantine — the 
Goths, the Vandals, the Huns, the Ostrogoths, — and affected its 
overthrow, in the latter part of the fifth century (Rev. viii. 7-12). 
The fifth and sixth trumpets refer to the eastern empire, and to 
events resulting in its destruction. The fifth trumpet introduces 
the rise of Mahometanism, and its rapid prevalence under the Sara- 
cens, threatening to overrun the whole Christian world (Rev. ix. 
1-11). The sixth trumpet presents the rise and triumphs of the 
Turks, who conquered the Saracens, captured Constantinople, and 
utterly destroyed the Eastern Roman empire (Rev. ix. 13-21). 
The blast of this trumpet is not j^et ended, though its sound is 
feeble, and is destined ere long, we hope, to cease. 

aS'. — We have now reached the end of the ninth chapter. In the 
beginning t)f the tenth, " a mighty angel comes down from heaven, 
clothed wdth a cloud, and a rainbow about his head, his face as it 
were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire." Who is this mighty 
angel ? 

F. — After considering the various opinions which have been 
expressed in answer to this question, I agree with Hengstenberg, 
that this angel is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ, who is 
often, in Scripture, called an angel. The little book which he holds 



622 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

in his hand I understand to be the remaining unfulfilled part of the 
sealed book of prophecy which he took out of the hand of him that 
sat upon the throne, in the early part of the Revelation (Chap. v. 
7). The seals of this book had all been opened, but the portents 
of the seventh seal, which included the seven trumpets, were not 
yet entirely fulfilled. The seventh trumpet had not been blown, 
nor had the blast of the sixth trumpet ceased to sound. The 
contents of the book which Christ had received from the Supreme 
Disposer had been chiefly but not entirely unfolded, and the small 
part which remained unaccomplished constituted the little book in 
the angel's hand. 

S. — But Avhy was this glorious vision interposed here ? AVhy did 
the Son of God condescend to appear again as the angel of the 
covenant, and swear the solemn oath contained in this chapter? 

F. — I can think of but one reason. As early as the close of the 
first century, many excellent Christians were pleasing themselves 
with the notion of the speedy coming of Christ. He was soon to 
come, and set up his kingdom in the world, and reign in glory 
with his saints. And this delusion has been revived, at different 
periods, all the way from the age of John to the present time. Dur- 
ing the blast of the sixth trumpet some of the best people on the 
earth have been deceiving themselves in this way. This was the case 
with John Wickliffe and his followers — the Lollards, the Hussite, 
and many others. Under one name or another, these Adventists 
continued down to the Lutheran reformation. They were found in 
many of the reformed churches, and even among our New England 
fathers. They are found in almost every Protestant coiintry at the 
present time. Some of them have been fanatical and heretical, but 
many of them have been excellent people, loving the Lord Jesus, 
and clinging to the hope of his speedy coming. Others have had 
their patience tried by delay. They have been ready to say, with 
the souls under the altar, "How long, holy and true, dost thou not 
judge and avenge the sufferings of thy people ! How long shall it 
be to the Bnd of these wonders ; " In compabsion to persons such as 



CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 623 

these, and to cure them, if possible, of their impatience and their 
delusions, our Lord presents himself in this most remarkable vision. 
Standing in glory upon the land and the sea, he lifts up his hand 
to heaven, and swears by him wholiveth forever and ever, that the 
TIME OF THE END IS NOT YET. But in the days of the voice of the 
seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, then shall the mystery 
of God he finished^ as he hath declared by his servants the prophets. 
Let him that heareth understand. 




CONVEBSATIONT XXI\^. 

THE REVELATION Concluded.— The 1260 days.— Their significance and duration.- 
The Millennium. — Difficulties of ascertaining the time of its coining. — One valuable clue. 
— Some interesting deductions. — The first resurrection. — What we are to understand by 
it. — The beautiful City of God. — And the final end of the world. 

Son. — We now come to the commencement of the ante-millennial 
period of forty-two months, or 1260 days, during which the holy 
city, the church, is to be trodden under foot by the Gentiles, the 
two witnesses are to prophesy in sackcloth, the woman is to flee 
into the wilderness, and the two beasts are to continue their ravages 
(Chap, xi.-xiii). The events here symbolized, if I understand you, 
are not successive, but simultaneous. They run over the same 
period. They begin and they end together. This period is literally 
1260 days. Are there good reasons for sujpposing that these days 
indicate as many j^ears? 

F. — In the prophetic language of Scripture, a day is often — not 
always — reckoned for a year. This mode of reckoning began with 
Moses. When it was predicted of the Israelites that they should 
wander in the wilderness forty years, it was added : " After the 
number of the days in Avhich ye searched the land, even forty days, 
each day for a year shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years " 
(Num. xiv. 34). So the prophet Ezekiel, when predicting the siege 
and capture of Jerusalem, was directed to lie on his right side, and 
bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days^ — " / have 
appointed thee each day for a year^'' (Ezek. iv. 6). Also in the 
prophecy of Daniel, this mode of prophetic expression is resorted to : 
'' Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people, and upon thy 
holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sin, 
and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting 
righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint 
the Most Holy" (Dan. ix. 24). This prediction refers undoubt- 
edly to the Messiah, and to the time when he should appear to 
make expiation for sin. The commencement of the seventy weeks 



COXVERSATIOXS ON THE BIBLE. 625 



was " from the going forth of the decree to restore and to build 
Jerusalem," which was given to Nehemiah by Artaxerxes Longi- 
manus, in the twentieth year of his reign (Neh. ii. 1). And from 
this time to the death of Christ was 490 years — seventy weeks, 
counting a day for a year. From the prophets of the Old Testa- 
ment, this mode of reckoning came down to John. He adopts it in 
several places in the Revelation, and specially in the period we are 
now considering. The 1260 days denote, undoubtedly, 1260 years. 

S. — But if this mode of reckoning is adopted, not constantly, but 
only occasionally, by the prophets, how are we to determine when 
it is used, and when not ? 

F. — We are to be guided in these, as in other cases, by the con- 
nection and the sense. When it is said in Jeremiah, " These 
nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years," the connec- 
tion shows that literal years are intended. But when Daniel pre- 
dicts, in the passage above considered, the death of the Messiah at 
the end of seventy weeks, both the connection and the fulfillment 
show that a much longer period is indicated. 

S. — Who or what do you regard as the power Avhich is to tyran- 
nize over the church during the long period of 1260 years ? 

F. — It is, I cannot doubt, the Papal power. This has been the 
grand enemy of the church of God, treading it under foot, driving 
it into the wilderness, compelling it to prophesy in sackcloth, for 
more than a thousand years. And it will do so again, except so far 
as it is restrained, even unto the end of these wonders. 

S. — And Avhen Avill this be ? When did this long period of Papal 
oppression and persecution commence, and when will it end? 

F. — It ends, in every case, in what is technicall}^ called the 
Millennium. And if we knew accurately when it commenced, we 
might determine the date of the millennium. But this we do not 
know. When was the m3'stical temple measured, and the court of 
the Gentiles left out, and the holy city given up to be trodden 
underfoot? When did the two witnesses commence giving their 
testimony in sackcloth ? When did the woman flee into the wilder- 



626 CONVERSATIONS ON 2HE BIBLE. • 

ness, to be sheltered and nourished there ? We have not the means 
of answering definitely any of these questions. There is however 
one of the apocalyptic symbols, denoting the commencement of the 
1260 years, which, as it seems to me, is quite definitely fixed. It is 
the rising of the beast out of the sea, in the thirteenth chapter. This 
beast, I cannot doubt, denotes Papal Rome, in its secular^ political 
character ; and it arose when the Pope received his temporal 
dominions, and became a king. This took place about the year 
756 ; and the 1260 years, added to this, will make the millennium 
to commence about the year 2000 ; or in the six thousandth 
year of the world. Meanwhile, the way will be constantly prepar- 
ing for it ; revolutions will be taking place one after another ; and 
the power of Rome will be steadily diminishing. But at the time 
above mentioned, the millennium, I trust, may be fully introduced, 
and the seven thousandth year of the world may be the great Sab- 
batical period. 

aS'. — You have told us that the seals and the trumpets reach down 
to the millennium ; that the symbols during the 1260 years are 
supplementary to the seventh seal and the three last trumpets ; and 
that, to make the representation during this period still more com- 
plete, still other supplementary symbols are added, — as the harlot 
riding on the Roman beast, the fall of great Babylon, and the seven 
vials. Will you please tell us what events you think are set forth 
under these last supplementary symbols ? 

F. — The beast, I have said, signifies Popery, in its civil, regal 
power ; and the harlot denotes Popery, in its ecclesiastical power, 
which is supported, guided, and wielded by the regal power. The 
harlot, in the seventh chapter, is the same as the second beast in 
chapter 13th, w^hich had two horns like a lamb, but spoke as a 
dragon. The seven angels, with their seven vials, in the sixteenth 
chapter, denote the seven last plagues which are to come upon the 
Roman earth, previous to the millennium. While the destruction 
of great Babylon, in the eighteenth chapter, sets forth the utter 
overthrow of the Papal power, and synchronized with the result 



* CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 627 

of the last great conflict, in the closing part of the nineteenth 
chapter. 

S. — What parts of these symbolical predictions may now be in 
process of accomplishment ? 

F. — I would not speak positively on such a question as this. 
There can be no doubt, however, that we are living near the close 
of the sixth trumpet. And we are beginning to see fulfilled what 
is predicted in Rev. xvii. 16 : " The ten horns which thou sawest 
upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her deso- 
late and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire." 
It had been previously said of these ten horns, — which represent 
the ten kingdoms into which the western Roman empire was 
divided, — that " these have one mind, and give their strength and 
power to the beast." For a long period, this was true of all these 
ten kingdoms. They were all of them Popish, in league with 
Popery, and doing all in their power to support it. But the oppo- 
site is true of nearly all of them now. They have tarned against 
the whore, are eating her flesh and burning her with fire, and she is 
complaining of her oppression and miseries. I have no doubt, also, 
that the angel is already beginning his flight, having the everlasting 
gospel to preach to the nations ; and that the great Son of God is 
again on the white horse, riding forth for the conquest of the world 
(Rev. xix. 11). 

S. — Have any of the seven vials been as yet poured out ? 

F. — I think it likely that some of them were fulfilled in the 
wars of Napoleon, near the close of the last century and in the be^ 
ginning of the present. Others may receive their fulfillment in 
the coming conflicts which are to usher in the millennium. 

S. — Do you think that, previous to the millennium, all the inhab. 
itants of the world are to be converted? 

F. — I fear not. In preparation for the millennium, the gospel 
will be universally diffused. It will be preached, for a witness, to 
all nations. Those who embrace it, and enroll themselves among 
the servants of Christ, will be safe. But those who persist in r^ 



G28 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. * 

jecting it, and in opposing the triumphs of the Son of God, will 
be cut off. As much as this is indicated in many Scriptures, and 
especially in the Revelation. There is the mustering of the hosts 
of the wicked, and the gathering of them together at Armageddon, 
to the battle of the great day of God Almighty (Chap. xvi). 
There is the account of the last vintage, when the wicked of the 
earth are reaped, and cast together into " the great wine-press of 
the wrath of God." And when the wine-press was trodden with- 
out the city, " blood came out of the wine-press even unto the 
horses' bridles " (Chap. xiv. 20). And so in the closing verses of 
the nineteenth chapter, " All the fowls of heaven are summoned 
together to the supper of the great God, that they may eat the 
flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty 
men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the 
flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great." Here 
certainly is a symbolic representation of a great and terrible destruc- 
tion, immediately preceding the introduction of the Millennium. 

S. — I have a few more questions to propose, and then I have 
done. What are we to understand by the " first resurrection " in 
Rev. XX. 5? Are the martyrs to be literally raised from the dead, 
and to live and reign with Christ on the earth? 

F. — I think not. This whole representation is symbolical, and 
is to be so interpreted. Stripped of its symbolic dress, it merely 
sets forth the state of the world during the millennial period. 
Christ is to reign, not bodily, but spiritually, on the earth, and his 
people are to reign spiritually with him. The martyrs are to be 
raised in spirit., not in the body. In other words, the millennium 
is to be a time of pre-eminent holiness. The inhabitants of the 
world generally are to be as holy as the martyrs. This resurrec- 
tion and prevalence of the martyr spirit is " the first resurrection." 
" Over such," of course, " the second death hath no power." 

S. — How are we to account for the great defection at the close 
of the millennium. After a thousand years of universal holiness 
and peace, how is such a defection possible ? 



■m 



" CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 629 

F. — It must be remembered that the millennium will not change 
the natures of men. Children will be born then, as they are now — 
depraved creatures — and will need, as we do, to be born again in 
order to see the kingdom of God. To be sure, — in the absence of 
Satanic temptations, and under the influence of the best means, 
and in the midst of continual outpourings of the Spirit, — they will 
be generally and early converted. They will also be deeply sanc- 
tified. Religion will predominate over all other interests. " The 
kingdom, and dominion, and greatness of the kingdom under the 
whole heaven will be given to the people of the saints of the Most 
High." And this state of things will continue, generation after 
generation, for a thousand years. 

But as this period draws to a close, Satan will be loosed again^ 
and his seductions will begin to prevail. At the same time, Divine 
influences will be comparatively withdrawn. God permits this 
state of things, that he may show, in one more example, what sin 
and Satan are, and (if left to themselves) what they will do. A 
generation soon comes forward, haters of God, despisers of his 
truth, and the enemies of his people. They will be restive under 
the restraints of the gospel, and will resolve to throw them off. 
" We have been curbed and fettered by this religion long enough. 
The w^orld must have more liberty. Let us break his bands asun« 
der, and cast away his cords from us." 

Knowing what human nature is, when exposed to new tempta- 
tions, and free from spiritual restraints, we can easily conceive hoAV 
this thing will work. Of course, no good reason can be assigned 
for the last great defection, but actual reasons may be readilj^ 
supposed which will result in just such a relapse and ruin, as that 
described in Rev. xx. 7-9. 

S. — Is that great and glorious city, which John saw descending 
Gilt of heaven from God, to be regarded as the final residence of 
the redeemed church, or as a symbol of the church itself ? 

F. — Undoubtedly the latter. The church is often represented in 
Scripture as a building, a city. I believe there is such a place as 



630 CONVERSATIONS ON THE BIBLE. 

heaven. '• I go to prepare a place for 3^011 '' (John xiv^ 2). But 
where this locality is, and what its structure, form, and extent, we 
have no knowledge. The city Avliich John describes, like that 
which Ezekiel show^s us in the close of his prophec}^, is a splendid 
symbol of the glorified church. It is " the New Jerusalem, de- 
scending out of heaven from God." 

The close of this w^onderful book is inimitably beautiful, leaving 
as it were the music of heaven upon the listening ear. ^'I Jesus 
have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the 
churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the 
bright and morning star. And the Spirit and the bride say, come ; 
and let him that heareth say, come ; and let him that is athirst, 
come ; and whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely. 
lie which testifieth these things saith, Surely, I come quickl}'. 
Even so, come, Lord Jesus." 

O thou Root and Offspring of David ; thou bright and morning 
star ; condescend to guide us through the remaining darkness of. 
our pilgrimage, till we are ushered into the sunlight of immortal 
day ! 



s^ 






Deacidified using the Bookkeeper process. 
Neutralizing agent: Magnesium Oxide 
Treatment Date: May 2005 

PreservationTechnologies 

A WORLD LEADER IN PAPER PRESERVATION 

1 1 1 Thomson Park Drive 
Cranberry Township. PA 16066 
(724) 779-21 1 1 




008 934 236 3 



